Never Been Kissed
by PteraWaters
Summary: SPOILERS! Speculative fic for episode 6 - i.e. what would have happened if I wrote the show. Based on spoilers, promos, rumors, and other speculations around before the ep aired.  Ensemble fic, but Kurt- and Puck-centric. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

_**STOP!**__ If you don't want to know any spoilers for episode six of season two, "Never Been Kissed," do not read until after you see the episode.  
_

_This is my speculative take on the rumors/spoilers/promos/etc. that I've seen and/or heard about, and what the episode would look like had I written it. A few of the speculations/ideas came from a lovely reader named Rocket Ajax, so thanks! I hope you like what I've done here._

_I'm getting close to the end, so I will definitely finish posting all the chapters well before the episode airs, especially since I'm participating in Nanowrimo this year and don't want to get too far behind right of the bat._

_Posted: 10/31/10  
_

* * *

**Never Been Kissed**

Chapter 1

"Alright, guys!" Will Schuester said as the bell rang, signaling the start of third period. "Who's excited for the invitational? It's just a week away!" He looked over the club, noting how most of the students looked pretty enthused – maybe not as much as he was, because they were teenagers and it just wasn't cool to get hyped about anything, but enthused nonetheless. Rachel raised her hand impatiently while the rest of the club voiced their general approval. However, Noah Puckerman sat in the back of the room, wrapped up in his letterman's jacket, looking angry at the entire world. "And let's all welcome back, Puck!" Schue insisted, drawing attention to the guy, hoping it would help.

"Learn your lesson, Puckerman?" Santana asked loudly with a chuckle, her pinky oddly absent one Brittany S. Pierce, who sat on the other side of Quinn from Santana.

When Puck failed to respond, Rachel interjected, "Well, I hope you have. Sectionals are in six weeks and we cannot arrive a member short."

"Yeah, dude," Finn spoke up with a friendly smile, "we need you." Finally, Puck responded with a small smile and a nod. Thank god. Will certainly didn't want Puck poisoning the club with leftover hostilities from whatever had gotten him in trouble in the first place.

Artie cleared his throat from where he was sitting alone near the band equipment, and said, "All the blogs and chat rooms are saying we don't have a chance since this year we're pitted against the Dalton Academy. They're supposed to be really good."

There were a few scoffs of disbelief, and Will hoped his kids weren't getting complacent again. They'd never get to Nationals with that attitude. When Rachel raised her hand again, Will sighed, "Yes, Rachel?"

The girl stood up to face the rest of the club and announced, "I purchased tickets for each and every member of the club to attend Dalton's Invitational this Saturday. It will be a learning opportunity as well as a good way for us to bond as teammates, since the performance is forty-five minutes away and we'll have to bus there."

"Rachel," Schuester sighed, "we don't have the money. Our budget this year-"

"Hey," Santana spoke up with a shrug, "why don't we just have Puck steal another ATM?"

The rest of the club laughed and Puck looked about ready to either walk or start swinging, so Schue interrupted, "C'mon, guys! This ends now. What's done is done and we're happy Puck is back on the team, right?"

Several students, including the football players, Quinn, Brittany, and Rachel all agreed with smiles and words of encouragement, but Kurt rolled his eyes at Mercedes and Santana scoffed loudly.

"And..." Rachel added, taking the focus of the room back onto her shoulders, like always, "I saved up all the money I made over the summer giving singing and dance lessons to bored housewives and their children. It's almost enough to rent the handicapped bus for both this trip and for Sectionals and I would like to donate it, tax-deductible of course, to the team."

Concerned, Will asked, "Shouldn't you be saving that money for college, Rachel?"

"_Please_, Mr. Schue," the girl rolled her eyes as she sat back down next to Finn, "my dads set up a trust fund the _moment _they found out about my impending birth. There's more than enough money to see me through college and my early starlet years, especially since I am a very frugal person."

"Okay, then," Schue nodded, relieved. He should have known."Let's warm up and go through our songs for _our_ invitational. And remember, guys, extra rehearsal after school all this week so we can practice in the auditorium."

"For everyone who doesn't have detention," Santana laughed, a pointed look in Puck's direction. Will gave the girl a glare of disapproval until she crossed her arms over her chest and sat back in her chair, silent, but with attitude.

* * *

After glee club, Artie was surprised when Puck grabbed the handles of his wheelchair and started pushing him down the hallway toward their lockers. "This isn't going to end with me trapped in a port-a-potty again is it?" Artie asked nervously, looking around for Finn or Sam, his new work-out buddies. They would protect him if he needed them to.

"Nah," Puck shrugged, to Artie's relief. "I was thinking you've got an image problem and I'm in need of a project. I'm gonna make you popular. That way the goth chick will think twice about having left you for Mike Chang and I get to tell my counselor that I'm rehabilitating."

"Wait," Artie insisted, taking control of his chair and turning around to face Puck. "You want me to be your community service?"

"Yeah," Puck shrugged again before turning Artie around and continuing to move them toward the Junior hall of lockers. "You're, like, my boy now, since we're both in glee, and my counselor says 'normal friendships' or whatever are important for making sure I don't end up in real prison. And believe me, Juvie was bad enough."

"I can only imagine," Artie nodded with a smile. "Okay. But how are you gonna make me popular?"

"You'll see," Puck replied, parking Artie in front of his locker and coming around to offer him a fist-bump, morphing it into the complete 'exploding rock' before walking away.

Puck wanted to help him out? Artie figured as he got his books out of his locker, that as rehabilitation plans went, this one seemed to be stacked heavily in his favor. He smiled and chuckled until he watched Kurt and Tina walk by, Karofsky right behind them. Without even a warning, the jock pushed Kurt by his neck face-first into the bank of lockers in a way that looked like it hurt, even from twenty feet away and several feet down.

Artie hated the way that unless teacher saw it, it didn't happen, and the way Kurt was too proud to ever report those jerks to the administration. Artie had never had it as bad as Kurt, because lots of guys wouldn't hit a kid in a wheelchair, but that didn't mean Artie ever reported the times they flushed his glasses or put his books out of reach or any of the other little things the popular kids did. Yeah, he could understand Kurt not wantingto rock the boat either.

* * *

Between classes, Quinn pulled Santana into the girls' room, Brittany trailing behind them, and said, "We need to talk to you."

"About what?" Santana asked, shrugging off Quinn's grip and stepping up tithe mirror, carefully adjusting her ponytail.

"You're being mean," Brittany said quietly. Quinn gave the other blonde a sympathetic look and Santana knew the Head Cheerleader suspected something horrible had happened between her and her ex-best friend, and that Artie was involved somehow, but she doubted Quinn knew exactly what. For how much she got around, Brittany wasn't really one to kiss and tell.

Santana opened her mouth, but Quinn cut off the words by saying, "I don't know what's gotten into your Spanx lately, Lopez, but this campaign of harassment ends now. All the little comments and jibes at Puck's expense aren't helping anyone, least of all you."

"Please," Santana scoffed, sharing a look with Brittany that cowed her slightly. She really did hate how hurt and innocent the blonde looked, even though Santana had told her a dozen times since they first made out that the two of them would never be serious. Something about Santana ditching Brittany to sing with Mercedes was like that straw that broke the donkey's back or whatever. "Puck can handle it. It's his own damn fault anyway, for blowing me off after he got out of Juvie." _He_ never rejected Santana before. Not even when he and Quinn were supposedly together. Jail had ruined him and the stress of not having either him or Brittany to do it with was really grating on Santana, like, giving her stress-pimples and everything.

"I don't care if he killed your mother," Quinn hissed, and Santana recognized the expression, trying not to show how afraid and turned on she always got when Quinn wore it. "We need him if we're going to get to nationals. And you know what?"

"What?" Santana asked, weaving her head and giving her best good-defense-is-a-good-offense attitude as she turned to face Quinn.

"I am _very _invested in making it to Nationals this year," the Head Cheerleader insisted, her jaw set and clenched. "I _need _it to happen, so if you or anyone else gets in the way of what I want, you'd better be prepared for the consequences."

"Yeah," Brittany echoed, letting Quinn take her pinky and lead her from the bathroom, the look shot over her shoulder saying plainly that Brittany missed Santana, but was still mad at her. Santana tried to scoff at herself in the mirror, but it came out weakly, if at all.

* * *

"Are you excited about Saturday, Kurt?" Mercedes asked her friend as they sat in the auditorium, waiting for glee club to start. "Because I know I am."

"We're picking out our ensembles tonight," he insisted in reply, taking his friend's arm and squeezing it affectionately. "I'm thinking coordinated, but not obviously so. And the latest season, of course."

"Okay, white-boy," Mercedes replied with a laugh, patting his hand on her arm. She loved it when he held her arm, because Mercedes didn't have many friends in this school and she didn't have a boyfriend, but to know that Kurt was at least willing to hold her arm in friendship brightened her day more than she would ever admit.

"Hey, guys," Mike said as he sat in the row ahead of the two friends, gripping the back of his seat as he faced them. "Tina and I are hosting a party after our trip to Dalton on Saturday. It's gonna be awesome and you should totally come."

"I don't know..." Mercedes drawled out with a straight face, sharing a significant look with her best friend. "You and Tina…?"

When Mike's face fell, Kurt laughed, "She's kidding," he insisted, checking to make sure he was right with a look to Mercedes' smiling face. "Of course we'll be there."

"Great!" Mike smiled before practically skipping away to go invite Brittany and Quinn as well.

"How awesome is this?" Mercedes squealed. "The last time I was invited to a party, I was in fifth grade! This is going to be so much fun!"

Kurt shrugged sadly and said, "The last time I was invited to a party was just after my mom died. I kinda lost it, forever cementing my reputation as the weird kid."

"Once everyone see how fabulously talented you are at the Invitational," Mercedes insisted, knowing cheering up Kurt was the least she could do in payment for him being her friend, "they'll be eating their words, sweetie. I swear."

Smiling, Kurt hugged her arm again, putting a happy warmth in her chest that she knew she was going to miss once graduation eventually came around. Best Friends Forever was a nice sentiment, but Mercedes was too practical to take it too literally. "Thanks."

* * *

After rehearsal in the auditorium, Will caught Puck on his way from detention to football practice and asked, "Hey, Noah? Are you okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" the guy shrugged and kept walking.

"Santana," he guessed, making the boy stop short. "Did something happen? She seems..."

"Like a bitch?" Puck asked coldly, eyes on the ground. Of course it was too much to ask for a little civility from the bad boy.

Nodding uncomfortably, Will nodded, "Well … yeah. Did you two have a fight?"

"Whatever," he insisted, shrugging and taking another few steps. "It's none of your business, Mr. Schue. Get your own freaking life." Puck turned the corner, leaving a confused and insulted Will standing there, dumbstruck. It seemed like he wasn't wrong about the trouble between Puck and his on-again-off-again girlfriend, but it wasn't the whole story, either. Just when Will thought Puck was gone for the day, he came back just long enough to call, "But, thanks."

That was something, anyway.

* * *

"I've tried, Will," Emma insisted, her lips cottoned around his name, her hands straightening the pencils on her desk. "I've tried rewards, I've tried threats, but I just can't get Mr. Puckerman to come see me. I mean, he does have a court-appointed therapist, so…"

"But," Will sighed, "I don't think the smash-and-grab at the convenience store was a fluke and I don't think it was about the money. I'm worried about him. Sometimes he seems just like his old self and sometimes he just seems angry at the world. If we could just talk to him long enough to ask…"

"I know," Emma replied, screwing up her eyebrows in concern and pouting her lips for a moment, not realizing how heavily that expression affected him. "I know, Will."

Taking a deep breath to clear his thoughts, he told Emma, "He's a good kid underneath whatever's going on. And he's a great performer. How do I get him to see that?"

"Well," the guidance counselor nodded, looking down at her desk and straightening a few more things as she thought. "Have you tried giving him a solo? That always seems to make your kids happy. Something that fits his personality if not his current depression..."

"Yeah," Will agreed slowly, thinking the possibility over. Puck always did seem happier when he was performing, even if he insisted he didn't really care all that much about glee club. Will knew it was just a cover. "Yeah, that sounds great, Emma!" He smiled brightly until he caught her still-concerned expression and let his smile falter. Damn. He was unconsciously flirting with her again, wasn't he? It was just so difficult to change the way he'd always spoken with Emma and divert it into a more appropriate attitude. She was with Carl now, and Will had to accept it. "I'll think up something good. You've been a big help!" He smiled again, more friendly this time, and left with one final wave.

* * *

"Hey," Quinn greeted Puck at his locker before glee club.

"So you're talking to me now?" he asked angrily, shoving things around in his locker because as soon as she showed up, he'd forgotten what he was there for. "I thought you wanted nothing to do with me."

"I said, I needed some _time_," she insisted, referencing that awful talk they'd had at the beginning of the summer. She didn't want him. Not even after he'd put his balls under the knife for her. And still, when he tried to call her awful names just in his head, it never worked. "And I'm sorry for making you feel whatever you've felt, but that doesn't mean..."

"What?" Puck asked, slamming his locker closed. What sort of cheap apology was that? He wondered if she really just wanted him to go away for good and if he was that much of a reminder that Beth was out there in the world without them. "It doesn't mean I should go all crime-spree again? It doesn't mean I should feel sick to my stomach whenever I see you with that Evans kid?"

"Look," she said quietly, holding onto his arm and pulling him away from the bank of lockers and to the side of the hallway where their conversation would be more private. "You know what I went through and I'm sorry that whenever I look at you, it's all I can think about. I _am_!" Ha! He'd been right. Puck knew he understood Quinn; it was just a matter of making her see it. "But you_ cannot_ take this out on convenience stores and Santana and the rest of the club! I know you love performing, Puck. I know you belong up there on the stage with us, but you and I don't belong _together_. I'm sorry." Her face was twisted with pain, threatening tears, and Puck's jaw clenched, his fists balled up in anger. How dare she? She didn't have the right to cry. Not after what she'd done and jerking him around for months on end and then he had all that time in jail to just sit and _think_ about her and why couldn't he let it go?

Before he could do anything stupid, Mr. Schuester came by with a fake smile plastered on and interrupted them, "Hey guys! Puck, I think I've found a song for Invitationals where I can give you a pretty epic solo. I'm pitting the girls against the boys again, and want you to lead the boys' team. You interested?"

Quinn slipped away and Puck sighed, looking at Mr. Schuester like he was either a godsend or a jackass, because Puck couldn't figure out which. Upping the ante, Will added, "It'll show Quinn what she's missing. No promises she'd stop seeing Sam, but-"

"I'll do it," Puck agreed, his eyes still on Quinn as she escaped into the choir room. If it would show her what she was missing, he would take every opportunity he got to twist that knife in a little deeper. Hey, he wasn't even giving half as bad as he'd gotten, even though he knew Gary, his parole counselor or shrink or whatever, wouldn't see it that way.

"Great!" Will replied with an excited nod. "Let's get the sheet music and go over it."

* * *

"I'm so excited!" Rachel squealed, hugging a very confused Kurt when he opened the door before she grabbed Finn's hand and practically jumped up and down. "Aren't you two excited?"

"For Friday dinner?" Finn asked skeptically, sharing a look with Kurt that the counter-tenor made so disappointed and scornful that Finn backpedaled into saying, "I mean, I'm excited too! Burt's feeling well enough to have dinner with us again! Isn't this exciting, Mom?"

Carole smiled indulgently and stepped through the threshold from behind her son and his girlfriend, taking a moment to hug Kurt and ask, "How're you doing, sweetie?"

"Good," he smiled, adjusting his bangs as he closed the door behind them. "It might be an early night, though. I don't want to tire him out too much."

"I agree," the woman nodded and for the first time in a long time, he was happy to see her. For a few weeks there, he'd been mad that his dad was sick and had taken it out on his friends, including Carole. He wanted to be there for his dad and somehow, letting Carole help had been akin to admitting he and his dad were all alone without her and Finn. And _that_ was not a prospect Kurt liked to dwell on. Turning to her son, Carole said, "Now, you and Rachel get the table set while Kurt and I finish cooking," before leading the way into the kitchen, so Kurt shrugged at his friends and followed her.

"Are you sure you're alright, sweetie?" Carole asked once they were alone. "You look a little ... depressed."

"Besides my dad's lengthy recovery," Kurt chuckled sadly, "there's not much to tell." Except that lately some of the jocks had been ramping up their campaign of harassment. Karofsky in particular. Great Dolce and Gabbana, Kurt hated that guy.

Surprising him out of his thoughts, Carole tapped Kurt's arm with the back of a clean wooden spoon and said, "I have a son, Kurt. I know that look. Spill."

"It's just," Kurt sighed, taking the spoon from Carole and pouring the soup she'd brought into a pot to warm it up, "_lonely_. Being me."

"Honey," Carole said softly, "it's lonely being _anybody_. Especially when you're a teenager. I know_ I_ never really dated until three weeks before graduation. Young boys can be wusses when it comes to asking out the people they like."

"Especially when they like someone _inappropriate_," Kurt scoffed, stirring the soup. Kurt knew his dad was right; he had to wait until someone else was willing to be brave and open before he found someone to date. He couldn't be the only gay boy in Lima, but he was definitely the one who'd had the most difficult time staying under the radar. Not that things hadn't gotten better once he had came out it was just… "Even if they did like you, they would just hide it and you would never even know..."

Carole smiled and put her arm around Kurt's shoulders. "I've told Finn this, but I think you need to hear it too."

"What?" Kurt asked, turning to look at Carole with wide, expectant eyes.

"Worry less about getting your seventeen-year-old self a date," she insisted, "and worry more about getting your twenty-year-old self a date. I know you're already fantastic, sweetie, and you don't need to work on things like grooming and vocabulary like Finn did when I told this to him last year when he and Rachel were broken up, but if you let yourself get _bitter_ about the situation you're in now, it's going to poison the relationships you have later in life."

"I'm not –," Kurt tried to insist, but Carole cut him off again.

"You're getting there, Kurt, and it's not a road you want to go down, believe me," she sighed. "I've seen it happen."

It took a long time for Kurt to respond, but when he did – dropping the spoon into the pot and hugging Carole tightly - he said, "You're right. Thank you."

"Hey," she laughed, hugging him back and straightening his tie as they stepped apart, "anytime, Kurt. And I mean that."

Kurt smiled and went back to stirring, his shoulders a little straighter and his lips quicker to smile again when his dad shuffled in and asked regretfully, "How's the grub coming along? It's low-salt again, isn't it?" Kurt couldn't help but chuckle, just a little.

* * *

"Hey," Finn said as he sat in front of Puck on the bus to Dalton, turning around to hang his elbows over the back of his seat.

"Gonna complain about the solo Schue gave me?" Puck asked, looking up from his Game Boy.

"No, man," Finn smiled goofily. "I wanted to tell you it's gonna be great. So, cheer up!"

"Whatever," Puck replied, just wanting everyone to leave him alone. Sure, all these kids claimed to be his friends, but the only people who had ever visited him in Juvie were his mom and some crazy Christian lady who was elderly and tried to tell him about how turning to Jesus could save his mortal life and his immortal soul. Nobody cared about Puck, and he didn't even know why they tried acting like they did.

Though, Artie had been pretty cool to him since Puck had explained his community service plan. Maybe he should be sitting with that guy and going over again how to make Artie popular. Part of the reason he'd even came up with the idea was to show Quinn that he could be a good guy, like Finn or Sam. But Quinn and Brittany were sitting too close to Artie and Puck didn't want to show his cards early. He wanted Artie's transformation to be more of a surprise, because then maybe Quinn would give him that smile that said she was proud of him. God, he missed that smile.

After a moment of silence, Finn frowned and said, "Don't be like that, dude. You're sitting back here all by yourself and I'm worried and when I get worried I get a headache. Of course, that happens when Rachel talks a lot, too and I've been sitting next to her for, like, half an hour."

Knowing he was right again about the dude pretending to care when he really didn't, Puck laughed a little bit anyway, which made Finn smile and say, "There you go! We'll go see this other glee club and the whole ride home we can talk about how bad we're gonna own them when Sectionals come around."

Puck opened his mouth to tell Finn not to get his hopes up, because he was right and they _were_ all Lima Losers, but Kurt interrupted, falling into the seat next to Finn and saying, "You guys have to see this YouTube. It's awesome. Mercedes almost shot Sprite out her nose when she saw it."

"No, thanks," Puck snarled, putting his headphones in and making both Kurt and Finn shrug and turn around. They didn't know that his iPod battery died while he was in prison and his mom had accidentally thrown out the power cable, so he was kinda boned until he found one to steal or managed to talk someone into paying him for one of the many ways he could be useful, so he could buy one. But, the headphones kept people away, even if they weren't working.

"What bug crawled up his butt?" Kurt asked Finn, and Puck knew he was giving his headphones lie away, but he couldn't help kicking the back of the boy's seat as payback.

Finn's shoulders shrugged above the seat at his back and he said, "I don't know, man, but I wish I did."

No he didn't. He just thought he should, because he was a _good guy_. And good guys are _supposed_ to care about everyone. Even dudes like Puck who they have to hate.

* * *

_Please review and frolic in the speculation with me! I promise we'll have fun!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Apparently, there are some new spoilers out that I wasn't able to include, including the subplots about Sam and Finn and the one about Coach Beiste. That's okay, though; I think you'll like where I've taken what I did know about. Now, on with the story!_

_Posted: 11/1/10  
_

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Chapter 2

"Wait here, girl," Kurt ordered Mercedes in the lobby of Dalton's auditorium. "I've got to use the little boys' room."

"Alright," she smiled, waving Tina over to wait with her. "But be quick. The show starts in, like, five minutes."

Kurt used the facilities and was washing his hands when he noticed the boy at the sink next to him was wearing what looked like a show costume. He had dark curly hair, which he was trying to tame and brown eyes that caught Kurt looking.

Scared of the guy's reaction, Kurt explained away his staring, "That's quite the outfit. Are you one of the performers?"

"Yeah," the guy nodded, tongue sticking out a little as he got one last curl under control. "I'm Blaine, who're you? I mean, I know you don't go here. Are you Danny's cousin or something? I swear that kid has more cousins than medically necessary."

"No," Kurt laughed. "I'm just here to appreciate the show. My name's Kurt Hummel."

"Ohhh," the guy smiled, rinsing his hands one last time and turning to face Kurt. "Checking out the competition, huh?"

Oh, man. It was happening again. Kurt was seeing that smile as flirty, when it couldn't be. It was just a friendly smile. Why couldn't Kurt see that? And why did this guy know him by his name? "How did you...?"

"As Captain of our glee club," the boy replied, reaching close (too close for comfort) past Kurt for a paper towel before pulling away again, "It's kinda my job to know everything about everyone we're competing against."

"Know thy enemy," Kurt nodded, his cheeks flushing a little.

"Listen," Blain said with a warm smile, "I've got to get backstage, but could you hang around afterward? I want to pick your brain about something."

"Sure," Kurt agreed, nodding and unable to say no. Blaine left with a final, flirty wink, and Kurt made himself snap out of it and grab a towel to dry his wet hands. "Not again," he whispered to himself as a command, shaking his head at the mirror and painting on a little smile before going out to meet his friends.

* * *

"Hey, guys?" Artie asked Finn, Rachel, and Puck as he wheeled up to them, the others ahead further in the line to take their seats. "I just witnessed something...concerning."

"Do they have a smoke machine?" Rachel asked. "I _knew_ I should have been more on top of the smoke machine campaign, but everyone said, 'No, Rachel, we don't need it'! Well, who's laughing now?"

"No one's laughing," Artie pointed out, looking up at both boys before forging ahead. "But I was in the bathroom and I heard Kurt make the acquaintance of Dalton's glee club captain. They're meeting up after the show so the guy can 'pick Kurt's brain'."

"So?" Finn asked. "Kurt knows better than to spill our secrets. Wait, do we even have any secrets?"

"But," Artie argued, trying to get the others to see his point even though most of the time they didn't even see _him _since he was so far below eye level, "I'm afraid he's targeted Kurt for some sort of prank as a way to demoralize our entire team. Like what Vocal Adrenaline did to Rachel last year. We can't let that happen!"

"He does kinda make himself a target," Finn muttered, receiving a hit on the arm from his girlfriend that made him jump in surprise.

"Don't say things like that, Finn!" she cried and Artie hid a small laugh. Finn might have a girlfriend where Artie didn't, but he also had to deal with the craziness of Rachel Berry. "Kurt is just being himself."

"Well, himself is annoying," Puck scoffed, to Artie's dismay. That guy had definitely slipped backward since getting out of the joint, even if he was trying to help Artie out. "And Finn's right. He makes a good target."

"Well," Rachel rounded on Puck, "today is your day to make up for all those times you threw him in the dumpster before joining glee. Keep an eye on him, all three of you!"

Rachel dragged Finn forward and Artie shrugged at Puck, who swore and shoved his hands into his pockets before following along.

* * *

_You think I'm pretty with no make-up on_

As the lights came up onstage, Blaine was in the center, his head bowed as he began singing, but lifting as he smiled and proceeded to the next line in his clear leading-man voice. Geez. Kurt was doing it again – crushing on a guy who could sing. Why was it _always_ a guy who could sing? It was like how some people had a thing for blonds.

_You think I'm funny when I tell the punch line wrong  
I know you get me, so I let my walls come down, down_

The rest of the club showed up on stage, dancing behind Blaine and then pulling him into the dance. Kurt shook himself out of his thoughts and tried to address the matter at hand, sharing a look across Mercedes with Rachel that said, "We might be in trouble."

_Before you met me, I was a wreck  
But things were kinda heavy, you brought me to life  
Now every February you'll be my valentine, valentine_

Kurt might be in even more trouble. He'd agreed to meet this guy after the performance because when he'd asked, Kurt couldn't say no. Alright. It was _just _a fact-finding mission. He was allowed to be curious about what Blaine wanted, right?

Smiling brightly, Blaine danced away from the stage and up the aisle, the spotlight following him flawlessly. He sang to a few audience members individually before he approached Kurt and the rest of the McKinley group.

_Let's go all the way tonight  
No regrets, just love  
We can dance until we die  
You and I, we'll be young forever_

Kurt cursed himself for sitting at the end of the row as, without shame or apparent malice, Blaine crouched down beside his seat and sang directly to him.

_You make me feel like I'm living a teenage dream  
The way you turn me on, I can't sleep  
Let's run away and don't ever look back  
Don't ever look back_

Kurt blushed fiercely, feeling his skin grow hot from his scalp all the way down to his belly-button, but managed to smile before Blaine winked at him and ran back to the stage, finishing off the number with the rest of his group. Every single member of the New Directions, except for Puck, stared at Kurt, who couldn't stop blushing as he looked around at his teammates and shrugged.

This couldn't be happening, could it? Kurt had heard that there were other gay teenagers that existed. He had even written back and forth with a few on certain forums, but that couldn't be what was going on. Could it? No. Blaine could tell that Kurt was gay and was just trying to butter him up for some horrible prank.

But what if he wasn't? What if someone besides Mercedes finally realized how talented and awe-inspiring Kurt was? What if?

When the song ended, Mercedes leaned toward him and cried over the applause, "I think he likes you, Kurt!"

"Dude," Artie added from behind Kurt, "he totally serenaded you!"

All Kurt could do was nod in disbelief and watch as Blaine's group started their next number.

* * *

True to their word, Artie and Finn stuck close to Kurt and Mercedes after the show, talking about Dalton's song choices and costumes, but Kurt didn't seem to appreciate his chaperons. Finn knew what it was like, having someone overprotective looking out for you, but since he turned twelve and got taller than his mom that feeling went away. Finn could understand how at seventeen, having people think you couldn't make your own decisions might feel insulting, especially for someone as independent as Kurt.

But that didn't mean Finn wasn't going to look out for him anyway. Kurt might still hate him, but as a sort-of family member, Finn had a duty to keep Kurt safe, even if he was almost normal-adult sized this year.

"So, where's Rachel?" Kurt asked, lips pursed like he didn't really want to know.

"Oh," Finn smiled, scanning the crowd from his high vantage-point, "she and Quinn went to go spy." Then, he remembered Rachel had told him to lie, so Finn recovered by saying, "Or maybe they went to the bathroom. I don't remember."

"Hey, guys," Mr. Schue said as he joined their group, Santana, Brittany, Tina and Mike in tow. "Where are the others? We should go soon."

"We've got a party to get to!" Mike smiled enthusiastically, high-fiving Finn.

"I'd like to stop off in the bathroom," Kurt mentioned, off-hand. "Don't leave without me."

He started walking away, but Finn insisted, "I'll go with you. You're never too old for the buddy system, right?"

Rolling his eyes Kurt returned to the group and said, "Never mind. I don't have to go."

Finn thought that was a little weird, but then Artie looked up at him significantly, liked he'd done something good, so Finn nodded. So far, so good.

* * *

Leaning up against a wall near the stage entrance, Puck was ready for it when Blaine broke away from his group and headed toward the lobby.

"Hey, Timberlake!" Puck called, getting the guy's attention so he stopped walking and turned to face the jock. If Puck's time in the lock-up had taught him anything, it was that you had to head off things like this before they went anywhere. Otherwise you ended up with two black eyes, broken knuckles, and half a Mohawk. Or someone came after one of your boys when you weren't looking and Puck couldn't let happen.

After a moment of surprise, the singer smiled and told Puck, "It's Blaine, actually." After eying up Puck's letterman jacket, which he probably shouldn't have worn on a spying mission, Blaine added," And if I'm not mistaken, you're either Finn Hudson or Noah Puckerman. Right?"

Puck nodded, but didn't elaborate, instead glaring steadily at the guy with the memory of Rachel's eggy-humiliation fresh again in his mind as he ordered, "Stay away from the McKinley kids."

Smile unfaltering, Blaine stepped closer and asked, "Or what?"

"Look, man," Puck growled, "I have no problem beating up people I don't know. Don't mess with us and I won't mess with you."

"I just want to talk to Kurt," Blaine insisted as he walked away, hands up in surrender. "No messing to speak of."

"Still," Puck said, taking one look around to make sure the coast was before shoving Blaine into the wall, almost hard enough to ricochet. "Back off."

As Puck walked away, Blaine called after him calmly, "I'm not scared of you, _Puckerman_." Damn, his threats had given him away.

"You should be," Puck muttered, almost missing the next words Blaine called out.

"...think about why you don't want me talking to him!"

Rolling his eyes, Puck stepped back out into the lobby, searching for his teammates. When he saw the group, he caught up with them and barked, "Let's blow this Popsicle stand."

"Yeah," Finn smiled, patting Puck on the shoulder. "Let's go. I'm really looking forward to the party!"

But then, when Schue explained that Quinn and Rachel were still missing, Blaine found them. Ignoring Puck's death-glare, Finn's surprise and Artie's concern, he touched Kurt's arm and said, "Hey, Kurt. Could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure," Kurt agreed with a smile, shaking off Artie when he tried to hold Kurt back. "I'd love to."

"No, don't…" Finn tried to argue, but they were already lost in the crowd. "Damn."

"That kid is toast," Puck murmured, trying to follow, but Finn held him back.

"Don't cause trouble, dude," the taller boy hissed. "You're still on probation. I'll make sure nothing happens."

Puck grumbled but let Finn go ahead, staying behind to gravitate in orbit around his team, but not actually part of it. Not anymore. Not quite again.

* * *

"Okay, Berry," Quinn whispered as she and Rachel sneaked backstage, "fill me in on this team. What's the need-to?"

"Need-to?" Rachel asked in more of a stage-whisper than an actual whisper.

"Need-to-know," Quinn sighed, rolling her eyes. "Try to keep up."

Rachel nodded in understanding and replied, "Dalton Academy Singers. Team Captain: Blaine, who's a senior and almost won them their Regionals last year. Threat level: moderate to high, depending on song choice. I don't think Katy Perry's going to get them anywhere, but if they can pull off a Broadway showstopper, we'll be in trouble."

"Got it," Quinn nodded, leading Rachel closer to the green room. "Try to overhear any gossip we could use to our advantage."

The click shut of a door behind them made Rachel breathe, "Shhh!" and push Quinn behind some speakers and other equipment as two figures approached.

"So," Quinn's eyes widened as she recognized the speaker's distinctive voice, "what did you want to talk about?"

Moving as silently as she could, Quinn crept forward until she could see Kurt and the boy he was speaking to: that Blaine guy that Rachel had mentioned. He leaned back against the wall of the hallway and smiled before speaking. "I just wanted to know how things are going, since Lima seems much too small for guys like you and me."

Clasping his hands together before him, Kurt told Blaine, "I'm not quite sure what you mean, but Lima is definitely too small for someone of my talent. Just two more years and I'm free."

"Uh-huh," Blaine replied with a chuckle in his voice. "I meant more the fact that you're gay."

"Oh," Kurt said shortly, looking confused until he lot up in understanding. "Oh! You're...?"

"Yep," Blaine smiled. "I'm gay, too."

"Oh, well that's ... nice," Kurt said with an awkward smile.

"It's awesome," Blaine laughed. "Especially now that I live in a city. I just, I came from a small town, too. And it was _bad_, but I thought you should know – it gets so much easier."

"You mean you don't get slushied twice a week here?" Kurt smirked. "That would be fantastic."

"Well, Dalton has a zero-tolerance policy against harassment. And really? Slushied?" Blaine asked. "Like, the frozen drink?"

"Yeah," Kurt laughed. "It feels just like being bitch-slapped by an iceberg. Count your ignorance of the phenomenon as a blessing."

The two boys smiled at each other brightly, and Kurt looked happier than he had for a long time. Quinn looked over at Rachel and wondered if this was what she grew up with in a house with Two Gay Dads, realizing it wasn't as weird as she thought it might be. Even though Kurt was her friend and was pretty cool, Quinn hadn't actually had to think of him _with_ a boy. Now that she was, though, she felt happy for him. How could anyone deny Kurt that coy, hopeful, enamored look on his face? Especially God?

"Look," Blaine said, reaching toward Kurt, "gimme your phone. If you ever want to talk or something, you can call."

"Okay," Kurt agreed, pressing a few buttons on his phone before handing it over. "But, why would you want to? We live almost an hour apart and…"

"And I have a boyfriend," Blaine said with a shrug, noticing the way Kurt's face fell as surely as Quinn did. "But, when I was alone in my small town, I always wished someone else who was gay would just … _talk_ to me, you know? As a friend."

"Oh," Kurt smiled. "Yeah. That would be great, actually."

"There you go," Blaine said, handing the phone back. "It was really nice to meet you, Kurt. I hope you call soon."

"Sure," Kurt nodded, looking a little dazed yet. "I will."

With one last friendly laugh, Blaine waved and ran further backstage, smile dazzling even as he ran past where Quinn and Rachel were hiding. A moment later, Rachel nodded toward Kurt and said, "He's just standing there. Do you think he's okay?"

Quinn rolled her eyes and stepped out from behind their hiding place, taking Kurt's arm and directing him toward the lobby, not even glancing back to make sure Rachel was following. They might be allies this year, but Quinn still had little hatreds for almost everything Rachel did or said or wore.

They were almost halfway back to the group before Kurt stopped them and said, "Wait? Quinn? How did you get here? How did I get here?"

"It's okay lover-boy," she laughed, gently directing him forward again. "I've got you. Dream away if you'd like. Rachel and I will make sure you get back home."

"Yeah," Rachel agreed from Kurt's other side, popping up and frightening Kurt so that he jumped a little in Quinn's arm. Then, Rachel hugged him and said, "I'm so happy for you."

"Did you guys…?" Kurt tried to ask, but Quinn cut him off.

"No. We never heard you talking to that boy. We would, however," she smiled her best innocent, friendly smile, "encourage you to use your new-found friendship not only for peace of mind regarding your sexuality, but also to benefit your team as a whole."

Kurt gave her a non-committal shrug, but he didn't seem too pissed off, so Quinn counted that as a win. Bumping Kurt's hip with hers, she smiled again, "I'm happy for you, Kurt. I really am."

Kurt stopped then, studying first Quinn's face, and then Rachel's, before coming back to Quinn with a smile. "Thanks, guys. This means a lot to me and …" he sighed. "Thanks for not looking at me like I'm some kind of freak, anymore."

"Thanks for helping me lose all that baby weight," Quinn countered, letting Kurt and Finn (when he showed up outside the backstage doors) lead them back to the club members, who were all watching and waiting for them. "You could do wonders for Rachel's figure."

"Hey!" the brunette cried, retreating to Finn's side and glaring as Kurt and Quinn shared a victorious giggle. Objective number one of today: torture Rachel. Check.

* * *

_Lol, I love writing Quinn more than I thought possible! Her and Santana, just so deliciously awesome!_

_Song used: Teenage Dream, by Katy Perry (which I've never even listened to, just so you know)_

_Also, the "bitch-slapped by an iceberg" quote is a Chris Colfer original, not mine.  
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_As always, don't forget to review!  
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	3. Chapter 3

_If there are any mistakes in this chapter, I blame my influenza-riddled brain. I hope you like it._

_Posted 11/2/10  
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Chapter 3

"The party's gonna be great, right, sweetie?" Tina asked as she set the last bowl of potato chips out on her mother's dining room table. Momma and Daddy Cohen-Chang were visiting Momma's sister in Dayton for the weekend, and hadn't exactly given _permission_ for the party, but Tina really wanted a way to bring the team back together, especially since breaking up with Artie. She knew it was for the best and that they were only in high school, but she hated the thought that he might never be her friend. Not really. Damn her undeniable attraction to Mike's abs!

"Of course it is," the boy in question agreed. "I still say it would have been better with dim sum, but I think the refreshments are in order."

Tina rolled her eyes and thanked God when the doorbell rang. Hurrying away from her boyfriend, Tina took a deep breath and then smiled brightly. This was always the worst part. Getting things going. Once she'd been around people for awhile and everyone was talking, Tina didn't have to propel the conversation. The beginning of any conversation, even those with her friends and glee teammates, were difficult. There was just so much pressure to not suck, it ruined all the clever things she thought to say before she could actually say them.

This time however, Kurt and Mercedes were on the other side of the door, bitching at each other. "…does not mean he wanted me to spy for his group, Mercedes!" Kurt cried. "God, don't you want me to have friends?"

"I do," the girl insisted, and Tina wondered if either of them had noticed her yet. "I just don't think that the captain of a rival team would be a good friend. Even if you don't intentionally spy for him, you do tend to prattle on and on about glee."

"I do not!" Kurt cried, stomping past Tina and into the house, going straight for the bowl full of ice and cans of Diet Coke. "But he is the first gay person our age that I have ever met in person! Why can't you get that this is a big deal for me?"

"Why are you acting like Rachel Berry circa Jesse St. James?" Mercedes yelled back before smiling at Tina and squeezing her hand in greeting.

Wanting to say hello to her friends and ask what was going on, Tina tried to speak up, but Kurt gasped loudly and said, "Oh, no you did not!"

"Oh, yeah I did, white boy," Mercedes said in her no-nonsense voice, barging into the room to get in his face. "Think about it."

Kurt rolled his eyes and snapped open a can of pop as he turned to Mike, who looked about as dumbstruck as Tina felt, and said, "Hi, Mike. How's it going? Nice spread you've put out. I especially love these little spring rolls. Please don't tell me they're filled with cream cheese. That was an experience I do not want to repeat."

"No," Mike shook his head, looking to Tina for help. "Just … regular spring rolls."

Tina smiled, thinking Mike looked cute when he was confused, and turned around to close the door, but Finn and Rachel were arriving with armfuls of baked goods and other refreshments that really weren't going to fit on the already-full dining room table. Fantastic.

* * *

Puck really didn't want to go to the party that night, since he had some quality, drinking-alone time to catch up on despite the way Gary frowned on 'substance abuse', but Brittany showed up at his house and practically begged him to take her. She'd said, "Since we're both really mad at Santana, we should show up together. It would make her mad, too."

Puck figured that would be true, and he could never stand that sad look on Brittany's face. Even though he knew she'd had almost as much sex as he had, she always seemed so … nice. And innocent. More like a little sister than a girl he'd slept with and _oh, man_ he had to stop giving himself disgusting thoughts like that. Sure, disgusting thoughts and Puck usually went hand-in-hand, but this last one was particularly bad, and that was coming from _him_.

"Sure, Britt," Puck sighed, grabbing his jacket and his keys before stopping off in the shed at the side of the house to grab an unopened bottle of rum that he'd stashed there earlier in the week. "Let's go."

"Yay!" she cried, taking his arm and kissing his cheek. Sure, he might be a badass, but how could Puck refuse incentive like that?

* * *

"Again, I'm _so_ sorry we're running late," Sam said for the millionth time as he walked Quinn up to Tina's front door. "I never thought I'd have that much trouble getting out of the house in my entire life. Oh, and thanks for being Tina's mom for me. I never knew you could do an Asian accent!"

Quinn straightened her ponytail and smirked, "Mrs. Cohen-Chang doesn't have an accent, Sam. And it was nothing. Ring the bell, would you?"

Sam smiled in that eager way that Quinn was trying to get used to and did as she asked, mashing the button four times before stepping back. Dating Sam was turning out to be a lot like dating Finn. Except now she appreciated what she had while she still had it. Quinn knew she wasn't always the nicest person in the world, because she was too ambitious for that, but she still wondered how on God's Green Earth she'd been able to cheat on Finn Hudson. He was dumb, but otherwise perfectly respectable. And he'd loved her so much. She always thought that falling in love meant you wouldn't want anyone else until you were broken up. That somehow monogamy was this magical, blessed state of being and people had to set out to be evil and wrong in order to break it.

She was mistaken.

But that didn't mean she wasn't strong when it counted. She really hoped that with Sam, it counted.

Rachel answered the door instead of either Tina or Mike, which Quinn found hilarious, because it proved what a loser freak she was, trying to host someone else's party. "Welcome, welcome!" she cried. "I think you're the last to arrive. Puck and Brittany just got here, _together_, so that's the talk of the party at the moment. Can I take your coats?"

Sam started shucking his coat off, but Quinn laid a hand on his arm and shook her head. "We'll hang onto them for now, Berry. I don't trust you not to damage my jacket because it's not a hundred percent vegan."

"It's not?" she asked, searching Quinn's coat for any signs of non-vegan-conformity and Quinn smirked. As far as she knew, the peacoat was completely synthetic, but if Rachel got wind that there was the slightest chance it might be made of real wool, a cat-fight _just might _ensue. That might be perversely satisfying but Quinn had just gotten her nails done the day before, during the time when she was supposed to be in gym class. Being a Cheerio again definitely had some perks.

* * *

"I don't know about this," Tina whined, being a complete baby over one little party game.

"C'mon, Asian," Santana replied, giving the girl her best smile and touching her arm in a gentle, flirty way that almost everyone except Hummel liked, "it'll make your party _so _much better. And once word gets around that glee parties are not only exclusive, bit really frickin' cool? We're talking major lunchroom cred for you and the dancing boy-toy."

Tina thought about it for awhile and then nodded her head, "Okay. But if this gets out of control, I reserve the-"

"Yeah, great. Sure. Whatever," Santana agreed, plucking the empty pop bottle out of Tina's hand and bouncing out of the kitchen with more enthusiasm than she felt. Santana Lopez had a reputation, and it was one she liked to maintain, despite being in glee club, so anything she could do to raise the club's rep also benefitted her.

Santana loved it when people feared and adored her, because it made her feel like one of those ancient goddesses, or Angelina Jolie. But since Puck got arrested, both he and Brittany had broken up with her. Puck was in some sort of weird depression spiral or rehabilitation spiral or something that Santana knew better than to get involved in (she may not like school or reading or any of that crap, but it didn't mean she wasn't smart) and Britt still hadn't quite forgiven her for getting moody that one day. Things had been so perfect before, too.

Sleeping with the school's two biggest sluts made Santana something better. Not a slut herself, but edgy and slut-adjacent. The perfect balance of school girl charm and raunchy sexuality got a female far in this world, and Santana had plans to ride it all the way to the top. Now if only she could maneuver things back to the way they used to be, everything else would fall into place.

"Alright, clowns and other miscreants," Santana called out, turning down the music so she could get everyone's attention, "circle up!"

"For what?" Mercedes asked, cocking her head with attitude. Santana had to give the girl props. Jones may have looked like she ate two whales and a sea lion every day for lunch, but she certainly was an alpha bitch. It always struck Santana that there was a pretty girl stashed away in Mercedes somewhere, but the Cheerio had never had the energy or inclination to seek her out. Besides, if Sue Sylvester couldn't get that girl to lose some weight, what chance did Santana have?

"Spin the bottle," Santana replied to Mercedes' question, "duh." There were a lot of grumbles and a few excited smiles (Geez, Britt! Keep it in your pants, girl!) so Santana added, "Do you guys wanna be little babies, or do you want to be freaking teenagers? It's a party, we're playing Spin the Bottle. It's as simple as that." One more knowing glare of superiority and there, kids were forming a circle on Tina's living room floor. "C'mon, Ladyface," Santana urged, pointing to the empty seat between her and Mercedes, "you, too."

"No, way," Kurt insisted. "I'm never kissing a girl. Or, not again. Not gonna happen."

"Well," Santana smirked, standing up so she could direct him to his seat, "it's not like we're tongue-kissing and you've got a fifty-fifty chance of locking lips with one of the fine fellows of glee club."

"Wait, what?" Artie asked from Mercedes' other side.

Santana smirked, "No gender bias, people. Real badasses like those of us in glee club kiss whoever the bottle lands on. No exceptions."

"One time," Brittany offered, "I had to kiss myself. It was really awkward."

Santana tried to picture that as she pushed Kurt down beside her and failed. But just having to think about one of Britt's mumblings made something in Santana's chest hurt with some sort of _emotion_. She was a Cheerio. Things like feelings and emotions were supposed to have been driven out of her when she graduated from JV to Varsity last year. It shouldn't be there, whatever it was, so Santana pushed it down and said, "Who goes first?"

"I nominate Rachel," Quinn spoke up, her knees folded delicately beneath her and her smile wide (Santana knew that as innocent as Quinn looked, she wasn't; she was a smarter, bigger bitch even than Santana and somehow hardly anyone ever guessed).

"I second," Sam piped up, his hand tucked lightly around Quinn's. God, Santana hated them. So freaking perfect and blonde all the time. Ugh!

"Okay," Rachel said slowly, checking with Finn, who smiled and squeezed her shoulder before nodding. Vomit. Santana wondered if this little game would break up any of the couples around the circle. It might not be the best thing for the team if that happened, but it would be wickedly delicious, like the double-chocolate ice-cream cake that Santana made her dad buy every year for her birthday until she found out what calories were.

Rachel took the bottle and laid it on its side before taking a deep breath and giving it a measured spin. Just when it looked like the mouth of the bottle was going to stop on Finn, it went a little bit further and landed on the wheelchair kid. Artie looked horrified and embarrassed and kind of excited all at the same time, so Santana laughed, "Do it, Rachel! Do it!"

The goody-two shoes looked around at the rest of the club, who were cheering her on, her boyfriend, who was just smiling awkwardly, and Artie, who held out his arms and said, "Bring it in, Rache." Just when Santana thought the girl was going to chicken out and ruin the whole game for everyone else, Rachel shrugged and smiled, standing up to give Artie a short peck on the lips.

"Woo!" Santana cried. "Go Israel!" Her cheers got everyone else cheering and laughing, so Santana knew her plan was working. Now to get the bottle passed to her and use her superior bottle-spinning talents to get it to land on Brittany. One mega-kiss and the blonde wouldn't want to blow her off anymore and with Britt as her best friend with benefits again, Santana knew that she'd be able to get Puck back, too.

* * *

Kurt had never been more mortified in his life as when Tina's bottle landed on him. Why? Was this the universe or the Great Spaghetti Monster or whatever punishing him for agreeing to go out with Brittany last year when he knew for sure it was all just for show? Was this what Mike felt like when he had to kiss Finn four rounds ago? Sure, Kurt liked Tina, but as a friend. Not, oh god, here it comes!

Tina's peck was light and barely there, and she smelled like the floral shampoo he'd helped her pick out and then it was over. That wasn't actually so bad. Not that Kurt would want to do that all the time, because _ew_, but it wasn't as big of a deal as he thought it was going to be. Brittany had been ... aggressive, but this was nothing more than a friendly peck that missed his cheek. When the cheers and kind-hearted laughter died down, Kurt said, "Alright," and placed two fingers and his thumb on the bottle, trying to get the courage to spin it.

"C'mon, Kurt!" Finn cheered happily.

Then, Mercedes poked his side to get him to, "Spin it already! And make sure it lands on me!"

"Okay," Kurt laughed, praying out loud as he flicked his fingers to make the bottle spin, "Please be Mercedes! Please be Mercedes!" As weird as it was kissing a girl, it wouldn't be nearly as awkward as having to kiss any of the boys. Kurt thought the only one who might take a kiss from Kurt in the spirit of friendship were Artie and Mike. Okay, maybe Sam would too, but that was just awkward for a million other reasons.

But then the bottle slowed, passing by a few perfect candidates: Quinn, Tina, Mike, even Brittany, and landed on ... "Oh, no," Kurt breathed. It landed on Puck. The same Puck that brought the phrase, "Smear the Queer," to McKinley High. The same Puck who threw Kurt into dumpsters and shoved him against or sometimes _into_ lockers and who threw the first slushie ever, covering Kurt in icy, sticky slop the third day of Freshman year.

The whole room was silent as Kurt stared at the bottle, only daring to peek at Puck for half a second. The guy frowned, his eyes on the offending beverage container as well, jaw clanched.

And then, Santana breathed urgently, "Do it!" Her words at once seductive and terrifying. Or maybe they were solely terrifying.

Kurt tried to reach for the bottle, saying, "I'll just spin-"

"Oh no you don't," Santana insisted, her hand clamped tightly around Kurt's wrist, but her eyes locked with Puck's in some sort of battle of wills. Kurt had no idea what was going on, but as he looked around the room, nobody looked anymore clued-in than he was.

Santana opened her mouth, an unforgiving flare to her nostrils, but before she could finish saying, "Puck-" the guy stood up.

"I'm outta here," Puck insisted, without looking at Kurt. "Didn't even want to come to this lame-fest, anyway."

"Dude!" Finn cried, jumping up after him and saying, "Don't be like that! We'll start something else, and it'll be fun. No one's gonna make you kiss Kurt."

_That's right, Finn_, Kurt thought bitterly, _no one would want to kiss me except Brittany, but she's too dumb to know better._

"Yeah," Tina agreed, "No more Spin the Bottle. It's a dumb game, anyway. Especially when we have DDR and Rockband."

Puck shook Finn away, but looked around the room before sighing, "Alright. Someone's gotta teach you losers how to party, anyway."

Finn smiled and Artie cheered, which made Puck smile the first real smile Kurt had seen from the boy since he got back to school. That didnt mean he was any less offended that Puck wouldn't even acknowledge his existance for the rest of the night. But, Kurt knew better than to expect Puck's attitude to change drastically enough for that to happen.

* * *

When Artie found Puck at the library on Sunday afternoon, the thought crossed his mind that the boy didn't really look like he belonged there. His short-Mohawk, those punk-rock earrings, the leather jacket instead of his normal letterman one, all these details added up to a guy lounging at one of the tables, ignoring the way the librarian kept shooting his suspicious looks. Clearing his throat as he approached, Artie said, "Thanks for agreeing to meet me here."

"Whatever, dude," Puck shrugged, helping Artie get rid of one of the chairs around the table so he could pull up to it. "I know what it's like, having a parent who doesn't want you to invite people over, _ever_."

"No," Artie laughed nervously, because damn, Puck's home life always sounded a little off, "it's not that. It's just my parents' anniversary, and I wanted to get out of there and give them some alone time. We have _really_ thin walls in our house."

Puck laughed at what must have been Artie's obvious discomfort and nodded, "Cool, cool. I get it, man."

"So, what should we work on first?" Artie asked, making sure to keep his voice a little low so Bernice, the librarian, wouldn't kick him out again. One time, just one time, he'd been singing along with his iPod without realizing it and that lady banned him from the library for a month! A month!

Puck pulled a few folded up sheets of paper from his jacket pocket and smoothed them out, revealing that they were sheet music to a Motown song. "Schue wants me to lead this song in the boys versus girls competition he's going to announce tomorrow. I thought you and I could come up with some ideas for making it awesome. I'll even give you one of my verses. If we end up doing it at the Invitational, this could totally boost your street cred."

"Really?" Artie asked, looking over the song. It _was _already a crazy-awesome song...

"Sure," Puck agreed. "I meant it when I said you were my boy now and it's my duty to make you popular. And think about it. You singing this song, with Mike as simple back-up? Tina'll be putty in your arms."

"Speaking of," Artie chuckled, flexing one bicep. "I've been working out a lot since joining the football team, but I ain't seeing any results. Got any tricks for expanding these guns?"

Puck laughed, "Sure, dude. I know _all _the tricks."

* * *

_More to come tomorrow, I hope. If you'd like to leave one, a review might make me feel better…_


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks, everyone, for your kind messages. I feel much better today, and I've finished the chapter after this one. I'm not quite sure how this ends, but here's hoping I've got enough time to finish it!  
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_Alright, folks. This is where s**t gets real!_

_Posted: 11/3/10  
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Chapter 4

"Do you like it?" Kurt asked Mercedes on Monday morning when he first saw her, holding out the diorama which was his half of their History project. "I know the little guys aren't exactly in historically accurate uniforms, but era is no excuse for disregarding the basics of fashion and common sense."

Mercedes laughed with a big smile as she said, "But Kurt, one of the reasons we won the Revolutionary War was because our guys didn't have fancy uniforms. They were camouflaged. Mrs. Hamm spent, like, ten minutes talking about it."

"Still," Kurt sniffed, "no excuse."

"Whatever, dude," Mercedes laughed. "Otherwise it's super-good. With my essay, we're bound to get an A."

"Good," Kurt sighed. "I need it. Last week's pop quiz did not treat me very well and I can't afford anything less than stellar grades this year, if I'm going to get into a good performing arts program. I'm already five steps behind living in this podunk little town. Did you know other schools in cities have college level classes? You get _actual_ college credits."

"C'mon, you nerd," Mercedes laughed, walking side-by-side with Kurt on their way to class.

They were almost there when Karofsky, the gorilla, dumped an entire slushie into Kurt's diorama. Shocked, all Mercedes could do was stare at the ruined project, their dreams of an A ruined in one cold swoop. Cringing at what she might find, Mercedes looked up at her friend's face to find that Kurt looked like he was full of some sort of icy, righteous fury.

"What. The. Hell, Karofsky?" Kurt cried, pouring what he could of the slushie out of his diorama and onto the floor.

"Didn't like the changes I made, queer?" the jock replied with a laugh, high-giving one of his friends.

"Oh, hell to the naw!" Mercedes cried. "This time you've gone too far, Jack. I _will_ cut you!"

Karofsky rolled his eyes and scoffed before starting to walk away. Mercedes was still steamed and practically shaking with anger, so she didn't see Kurt moving until it was too late. Without a word, Kurt dropped his ruined project in the puddle of slushie glop on the floor and stormed after Karofsky, pushing him from behind so the guy stumbled a little before turning on Kurt.

"Fairy wants to play, huh?"

"How _dare_ you?" Kurt snarled. "It's one thing to push me against the lockers and ruin my favorite clothes and mock me _every single day_. But messing with my grades? That's going too far, you ass! I only hope that someday, when you're old and alone - because let's face it, no girl would be desperate enough to date you - that you realize being a bully will get you absolutely nowhere outside the walls of this school!"

"At least I," the jock growled back, "am gonna make it out of here in one piece!" He grabbed Kurt then, bending him into a headlock like it was nothing and dragging Kurt into the boys' bathroom. "Which is more than I can say for you!"

Oh, Jesus! Mecedes had no idea how things had gotten so out of control so quickly and why none of the guys watching the scene were willing to intervene. Something had to be done. "Mr. Schue!" Mercedes called out, running down the hall toward his office. "Mr. Schue!"

* * *

As he was dragged into the bathroom by Karofsky and the only kid in there fled without helping, Kurt knew he was dead. He just had to mouth off at the jock, didn't he? He had to forget for just a few seconds that Lima was not a safe place for him to say whatever the hell he felt like saying. And now he was gonna die, another sad statistic.

"You damn fag," Karofsky hissed. "Couldn't just accept that you deserve having your stuff ruined, could you?" He pushed Kurt into one of the stalls, and Kurt knew a swirlie would be forthcoming.

"I don't deserve anything you've ever done to me," Kurt insisted. He was better than this. He was better than swirlies and slushies and getting hit because he was different.

"Sure you do," Karofsky insisted. "Whatever this is," he pointed to Kurt's now-disheveled appearance, "you're supposed to keep it under wraps. You're _supposed_ to fit in and be like everyone else, but since you never figured that out, I've got to teach you a lesson. Damn, I bet you're gonna die without ever having kissed anyone, aren't you, fag?"

"I've kissed someone," Kurt insisted, trying to figure out how to talk his way out of this, or at least stall until someone else came. There was no way Mercedes would just leave him in here without getting help. Then, something dawned on Kurt, "Have you? Come to think of it, I've never seen you with a girl, Karofsky. It figures that no one in her right mind would go out with a Neanderthal like you."

"Shut up!" the guy snarled, grabbing Kurt again, this time by the front of his beautiful Marc Jacobs sweater. "The girls at this school are all freaky and messed up, anyway. They don't know what they're missing."

"Oh, god," Kurt laughed, beyond being scared. "Have you ever kissed _anyone_?" The way Karofsky scoffed and looked away was more telling than the words he wasn't saying. "You haven't! For the love of ... I'm gay and I've kissed more girls than you! That's freaking insa-"

Kurt's words were cut off when the jock pulled Kurt close by his shirt and mashed their lips together. It was surprising, to say the least, and Kurt's heart stopped for a moment before he wrenched his face away and shoved Karofsky. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Get off me!"

Surging forward, the jock hissed, "You're _supposed_ to like it, fairy!" He tried to kiss Kurt again, but the smaller boy just managed to wrench himself away. "Maybe you're _defective_ in more than one way!"

Punching the guy in the face as best he could, Kurt cried, "I'm not defective! I don't like every boy I meet, especially not _jerks_, because I'm _normal _that way. Unlike you, you closeted freak show!"

Karofsky recovered from Kurt's punch like it was nothing and his eyes darkened as he grabbed Kurt's throat with both hands. "If you ever tell anyone about me, I will kill you. You know that, right?"

Kurt was right about Karofsky being gay? He figured the kiss was just another way to humiliate him by stealing his first one with a guy. The closeted crap was just that, talking bull until he could either get past Karofsky or until someone else showed up. Though, class was starting now. Maybe no one would come.

But could Kurt really keep his mouth shut about Karofsky when outing him could be so sadistically satisfying? Sure, he'd probably get killed for it, but Kurt was tired of living in fear. He was tired of wondering if today was the day things really went wrong. So, stupidly he invited it to happen by looking his bully straight in the eyes and saying, "Everyone's gonna know about you, Dave. I'm gonna tell every single person at this school how desperately gay you are for me and about how I'm too good for you. Even if they don't believe me right away, they'll start to wonder about you. That's a bell that just can't be unru-"

Even though Kurt knew by the twisting and darkening of Karofsky's face that it was coming, the way the hands around his neck tightened and cut off his air supply was a surprise. Futily, Kurt pulled and scratched at Karofsky's hands and tried to kick him anywhere, but the son of a bitch just wasn't letting go. So, this was it. Kurt was being killed by a guy who just couldn't accept his own sexuality. He never thought it would end like this.

* * *

When Mercedes came charging into his office, Will was talking with Puck and Artie about the ways they wanted to change the number he would be announcing during third-period choir. They had a lot of good ideas and Will was so relieved to see Puck getting into something this intensely, that he let the brainstorming continue into first period, sure that if he wrote them late passes neither would get in trouble for missing the first few minutes of class.

But then, Mercedes came running in, calling, "Mr. Schue! Kurt's in trouble!"

The expression on the girl's face was so frightened and sincere that without a second thought, Will leapt up from his desk and asked, "Where?"

"Central hallway boys' room," she panted, holding a hand to her chest. "Quick! It's Karofsky!"

Will took off running, only noticing just before he got to his destination that Puck was right behind him. Throwing open the door, Will burst into the bathroom and scanned as quickly as he could for the source of the fighting, choking sounds. There, in the second stall, two boys struggled, both of them almost prone on the floor.

"Let go of him, right now!" Will bellowed in his best no-nonsense teacher voice. "David!"

Startled, Karofsky backed off and let go, which left Kurt gasping for air and choking on the ground as Will pulled the jock out of the stall with Puck's help. After pushing Karofsky against one wall and telling Puck to, "Hold him there!" Will went to make sure Kurt was okay.

The boy struggled up to half-sitting, still breathing heavily and his eyes rimmed red and a little bloodshot. "Thanks, Mr. Schue," he croaked, clearing his throat and letting Will take his hand to help him up.

"You sure you're okay?" Will asked, noticing the shaky way Kurt was walking.

"No," Kurt chuckled, sitting back down again with his back to the solid divider between the two stall doors. He had to be hurt not to care about what the dirty bathroom floor was doing to his clothes. "That imbecile tried to kill me."

Will looked back at where Puck and Karofsky were pushing each other and declared as Artie came in, "This ends now! David, you're coming with me to the principal's office. Puck, Artie? Can you make sure Kurt gets to the nurse?"

"Sure, Mr. Schue," Puck nodded, shoving Karofsky once more before letting him go. Will nodded to his glee kids and, making sure not to touch Karofsky – because Will knew from experience that a worked up, violent teenager could take a guiding hand the wrong way and really flip out – herded Karofsky from the bathroom and all the way to Principal Figgins' office.

* * *

As soon as Mr. Schue and that dick hockey player were gone, Puck crouched down next to Kurt. Yeah, sure, Puck didn't want to kiss the guy, but that didn't mean he deserved to get the stuffing throttled out of him. "You okay, man?"

"Yeah," Kurt nodded, clearing his throat again and wiping away a tear. "I'll be fine. Just another day in Lima..."

"It should never get this bad, Kurt," Artie insisted, meeting Puck's eyes for his agreement.

"Yeah," Puck insisted. "Dumpster tosses are one thing, because they're humiliating, but this?" Shaking his head and knowing he probably shouldn't be doing Karofsky this favor, Puck fished his phone out of his pocket and dialed 9-1-1. While it was still ringing, he asked, "D'you want an ambulance, dude? It might be a good idea..."

"No!" Kurt insisted. "No. Just the nurse will be fine."

"Put some ice on your neck," Artie nodded, twisting in his chair so he could see Kurt's injuries better. "Geez!"

Then on the other end of the phone, an operator said, "Emergency services. What is the nature of your emergency?"

"Hey," Puck replied, waving off Kurt's confused and almost angry look, "I need the cops at McKinley High School. A student just tried to kill my friend by choking him to death. He says he's cool and doesn't need an ambulance, though."

"Where is the attacker now?" the lady asked.

"The principal's office, but I want to make sure this kid gets locked up for what he did. This wasn't just some fist-fight." Puck knew Karofsky would hate him even more for calling the cops, but that kid needed help – the kind of help they gave you in Juvie, like with a real therapist and crap. So see? Puck was doing the ape a favor in the long run.

"Police will be there shortly," she insisted. "Please stay on the line with me until they get there."

"Sure thing," Puck replied, turning the mic away from his mouth as he said to Kurt and Artie, "Let's get to the nurse."

"I don't want the cops to come," Kurt insisted, letting Puck help him to his feet, which still looked a little wobbly. "I just want to forget this ever happened." Puck scoffed and looped Kurt's arm around the back of his neck, holding the boy up as best he could, even if it did look a little gay.

"What _did _happen?" Artie asked as he followed them from the bathroom and down the hall. Mercedes was waiting for them outside, wringing her hands and gasping when she saw Kurt.

Shifting Kurt a little closer because Puck was having a hard time holding both him and the phone he was supposed to stay on, Puck replied, "Karofsky tried to kill this dude bare-handed."

"He kissed me," Kurt blurted out, sounding confused. "I think it might have been his first."

"Who?" Artie asked, surprised, "Karofsky?"

"Oh, my god!" Mercedes interjected, taking Kurt's free arm over her shoulders.

"Yeah," Kurt nodded, swallowing and wincing at what must have been pain. "And when I told him he was undesirable scum, that's when he tried to kill me."

"Geez," Puck sighed. "And I thought I had issues. That bastard's a nutcase!"

"He actually tried to kiss you?" Artie repeated, like he really couldn't believe it. "That's just so..."

"Disgusting," Kurt provided, walking a little better now, but not so well that Puck would let him have his arm back.

"Only because it was Karofsky," Artie insisted. "Not because you're both ... dudes."

Kurt looked over at Puck for a brief moment and his expression seemed to say he knew Puck thought two dudes kissing was disgusting, especially after what had happened at Mike and Tina's party. Puck didn't know if disgust was the right word, but the thought of kissing Kurt definitely made Puck ... _uncomfortable_.

* * *

Will never thought he'd see Puck leading the cops anywhere if he wasn't being chased or already in handcuffs, but that's what happened less than ten minutes after Will broke up the 'fight.'

"...can't believe you would attack another student, Mr. Karofsky," Figgins insisted as Karen, the principal's secretary, showed the police officers in. "Why would you do such a thing?"

David Karofsky sat as he had been sitting the whole time since Will had found him strangling Kurt – silent. There were no words for what the boy had done.

"That's him," Puck insisted to the male police officer, whose female partner spoke up next.

"Where is the victim?"

Will saw Karofsky pale, like what he had done was no big deal until the policewoman uttered the word, "victim."

"I'll take you there," Puck offered and Will hoped that smile wasn't Puck trying to flirt with the police officer. He'd been in enough trouble already this year.

Figgins nodded, "Yes, yes," and pressed a button on his telephone. "Karen? Did you contact Mr. Karofsky's parents?"

"Yes, sir," the woman replied. "The father is on his way."

"Good to know," the policeman said, "but I'm afraid I'm going to have to take this young man into custody immediately."

"Is that really necessary?" Figgins asked and Will couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Yes!" Will insisted as Karofsky stood up and had his hands cuffed behind his back, looking younger than Will had ever known him to look. Well, innocent expressions couldn't change what the Spanish teacher had seen in that bathroom. "I'd like to make a statement, too," he told the officer, who nodded.

"Come down to the station as soon as you can. And is someone contacting the other boy's parents? We'll need to speak to them as well."

"Of course," Figgins insisted again, before the police officer put a strong hand on David's shoulder and led him from the office, reading him his rights.

Turning back to the principal once Karofsky was out of sight, Will said, "Well, I hope you're going to expel that boy."

"Expel?" the man asked, sitting back down in his chair. "I don't really think that's necessary, William. Surely a month's suspension should cover it."

"What?" Schue cried. "That's the same punishment you wanted to give Finn for being under-clothed _once_. You can't tell me that almost killing another student isn't a million times worse than showing a little skin!"

"Well..."

"And believe me, if you don't expel that boy, not only will you have Burt Hummel ready to sue your ass - if he's not already planning on it - but you'll be setting a horrible example for what other bullies can and can't get away with in this school."

"Ah," Figgins nodded regretfully. "I see your point, William. You say the attack was quite severe?"

"I think less than five more minutes and we'd have a _dead_ kid on our hands, rather than an injured one," Will said, trying to get his sincerity across and the fear he'd held in his heart from the first time he saw Mercedes' frightened face until he was sure Kurt was conscious and breathing. "Something has to be done."

Pressing his lips together for a moment as he thought, eventually Finggins nodded. "I will recommend expulsion to the school board. Now, would you go check up on Mr. Hummel? I'm afraid poor Stella may not be up to the task of treating severe injuries. Call an ambulance if you have any suspicions the boy may need one."

Without another word, but confidant that Figgins was at least leaning toward the right decision, Will nodded and left.

* * *

When Puck set Kurt down on the nurse's table and backed away so Mercedes and the nurse could have at him, Kurt had never felt so stupid. This was all his fault. If he hadn't baited Karofsky like that, things could have gone on like normal. His project was ruined either way. A damn diorama wasn't worth his life, now was it?

Puck disappeared and the elderly nurse saw to his neck, tutting away and sending Artie and Mercedes to class despite all three students' protests. Returning with several icepacks and a blanket, the nurse ordered, "Lay down, honey. Don't need to deprive that brain of yours of any more oxygen. Good lord, I haven't seen a throttling this bad since nineteen seventy-eight! What was the fight about, then?"

Kurt didn't want to answer. He'd seen the way she frowned at some of his outfits. What would she think if he told her what had happened with Karofsky? That the guy had actually _kissed _him and expected Kurt to _like_ it! Damn, and the cops were coming, too. Kurt wished he'd kept his mouth shut around his friends as they helped him away from the scene of the _attack_.

God, he had been _attacked_, hadn't he? It was just starting to sink in.

Kurt wondered if the distance he felt from the boy almost choked to death by David Karofsky was shock or just his standard coping mechanisms turned up full throttle. Kurt was better than breaking down. He was better than the freaking coward who had thought he could punish Kurt every day of his life for being gay, and then try to kiss him when they were alone and Kurt couldn't get away. He was better than all of it.

Eventually, a lady cop showed up, Puck right behind her as he showed her to the room. For once, he wasn't flirting with the lady, simply being polite. Was it just Kurt, or had Puckerman been uncharacteristically enigmatic since getting out of prison? And if he hated Kurt so much that he couldn't even go through with a stupid game of Spin the Bottle, why was Puck helping out now? He could have just walked away and Kurt would have been fine.

"Hey, there," the cop said, breaking through his thoughts as she sat in the chair next to his cot and Puck left the room. "Why don't you tell me exactly what happened, Kurt, was it?"

He nodded, "Kurt Hummel. Um … I guess …" Kurt went through a narrative of what had happened between showing Mercedes his diorama and when Karofsky pulled him into the bathroom and chased the other kid out. Why were his hands shaking? That wasn't right. Kurt survived being tossed into the dumpster at least four dozen times with almost no reaction. How much different was this, really? He should be able to handle it better. He should –

"And then what happened?" The policewoman had a gruff, and yet compassionate manner. It reminded Kurt of his Aunt Mildred, though this lady was much younger and prettier than his great-aunt.

"Uh…" Kurt said, trying to ignore the little details stuck in his mind and remember the big parts. "He said he had to teach me a lesson about being so … obvious, I guess … about my sexuality. I thought I was in for the swirlie to end all swirlies. But then," No one needed to know, right? Kurt was mortified enough just thinking about that second that Karofsky had pressed his lips to Kurt's in that awful mockery of a kiss. His first kiss from a boy and it had been tainted so disgustingly… "Then he just started choking me. I tried to fight back," he insisted, showing her his bruised hands. "I punched him and scratched his hands. Look, I broke at least three nails on each hand."

"I see," she nodded. "We'll want to take pictures for evidence, but I think we'll do that in the hospital."

"No!" Kurt cried, startling both of them. "I mean, I don't need the hospital. My family's had so many medical bills lately. It's just … I'm fine."

"Okay," the officer said, writing something down in her notebook that Kurt suspected included the words, "refused medical treatment."

"And, I don't even want to press charges," Kurt added, knowing that if word got around that not only couldn't Kurt take the bullying, but he'd been enough of a pansy to press charges against another student, he'd never live that down. Especially where the popular kids were concerned.

Setting a hard eye on Kurt, the cop breathed for a few moments before frowning and saying, "You're still technically a minor, Mr. Hummel. I'll be pressing charges in your place."

"But-!"

"It's under my discretion as an officer of the law to press charges as I see fit. I'm trying to protect not only you, but anyone else that boy may attack in the future."

Kurt scoffed. Like there were any other targets for Karofsky to go after. Kurt was the only one – the only painfully gay kid at this school. Kurt very much doubted that when Karofsky got out he would attack some other boy for not wanting to kiss him. Then again, that's how serial killers were made, weren't they? Repeated rejection? Kurt shivered.

"If you don't want to go to the hospital, wait here for your father and have him bring you to the station. If you don't show up by after lunch, keep in mind that I'll find you, okay? No matter what. I need _your_ statement, not just the ones that your friends are giving me."

"My friends?" Kurt asked. "They're…?"

"Puckerman, Abrams, and Jones all expressed their desires to give formal statements. You've got people here for you, Kurt. Don't turn your back on them by letting one jerk get away with what he did to you."

"I'm not a victim," Kurt insisted. "I just … I got on the wrong end of a fight. It happens."

"It does," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean we can just dismiss things when they go wrong." She pulled a card out of her pocket breast and handed it to Kurt, "Be at the station before two o'clock so I can get the pictures I need."

Kurt took a look at the card, embossed with the Lima city seal and a name: Officer Victoria Langenthal. Screwing up his brows, Kurt asked, "Langenthal?"

"My nephew," she nodded. "He was actually pretty happy when you got his position on the football team, Mr. Hummel." Smirking, she stood up and nodded once more. She'd almost made it to the door before she turned back and said, "Oh, and your friend told me about how you said Mr. Karofsky made an unwanted advance. That's not something you'll want to leave out of the final statement, as distasteful as it must have been for you."

When the officer left, Kurt realized he felt sick to his stomach and his throat was killing him. Hopefully it wouldn't affect his singing voice. Maybe if it did, he should sue for everything Karofsky and his parents had or ever would have. If this stupid incident kept him from his dreams, Kurt would never forgive himself.

* * *

_So, what do you think? Did you like where I took the episode? This is what I was thinking might happen, based on a few of the spoilers, and is really the center of the episode as I'm writing it. _

_Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

_Okay, new chapter! I've only got a little bit of the next chapter done, but I'll have to finish this over the weekend, no matter what. BTW, Nanowrimo is totally killing me this year. I'm so far behind already!_

_Posted: 11/4/10  
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* * *

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Chapter 5

Finn thought Monday morning was pretty quiet for some reason. Oh, right. Both Puck and Artie were missing from class. That was weird. He wanted to ask Rachel about it, but ever since she'd had to kiss Artie during that stupid Spin the Bottle game, Finn didn't even want to think about Artie and Rachel in the same sentence. He was pretty sure Artie wouldn't steal his girlfriend like Puck had, but he did have an awful lot of sympathy points in his favor that might make Rachel see him as a good option.

Oh, crap! What if Puck was giving Artie pointers on how to land Rachel? Granted, Finn didn't really think anyone besides him _liked_ Rachel, but that was beside the point. Where were those guys?

"Hey, Sam?" Finn asked during group work time in English.

"What's up, bro?" the blonde replied, not even looking up from his paper.

Frowning, Finn waved his hand in front of Sam's face a few times to get his attention before asking, "Have you seen Puck or Artie? They haven't been here all morning."

"Oh, yeah, dude," Sam replied, looking around. "I kinda got used to Puckerman being gone, but you're right. Artie should be here. Hope everything's okay."

Finn nodded. That sure did a lot of good. What now?

On the way to his next class, Finn stopped by Mr. Schue's office and found a substitute there instead, frantically pulling together papers. He didn't want to bother her, but when Kurt and Mercedes were gone from his next class as well, Finn thought maybe he should have.

Something just felt … wrong.

* * *

"Can't believe this," Burt Hummel growled, taking deep breaths like his physical therapist kept telling him to do when he got stressed. "This isn't cool, kid."

"You don't think I know that?" Kurt scowled as he followed his dad into the police station. "I know it's messed up. But it was _one time_. You _can't_ pull me out of school!"

"I know you're strong, son," Burt sighed, turning around and catching his breath just before they got to the reception desk, "but I'm not. I can't be worrying about you bein' at that school where you almost got killed!"

"I didn't-"

"Hey!" Burt said, trying not to let his voice rise up too far. That was also against the post-heart-attack rules: _stay as calm as possible_. "I talked to Schuester before I picked you up from the nurse. I _know_ what you're not telling me. You know they're expelling the kid? The star of the hockey team is gone, and rightfully so, but you being in the middle of this mess isn't going to do you any favors. It's just going to get worse."

Kurt kept his eyes with Burt's for a long moment before frowning, "You're letting them push us around. You're letting them push me out of my school, dad! Most of the time, I like it there. And if I'm not in school, I'm not in glee club! Please don't take that away from me."

"We'll find you a better school," Burt insisted. "One with a glee club and those college classes you want. One where you're accepted for who you are, Kurt. Even if we have to sell the garage and move, we're doing it. End of discussion."

Burt knew that Kurt would need to process that for awhile, so he turned away and spoke to the police officer at the desk, knowing Kurt would be too polite to butt in while he was asking for the officers in charge of Kurt's case. He also knew that moving would be a hassle and it might cost him Carole and Finn, but if it was the best thing for Kurt, that was the end of it in Burt's mind. The absolute end.

* * *

"Oh, my god!" Artie cried, mostly to himself, but also to Puck, who was sitting next to him in the waiting room, just a few feet away from where Kurt had been fighting with his dad. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah," Puck nodded. "Man, I wish I would have had an opportunity to mess up that Karofsky guy's face!"

"But," Artie argued, "wouldn't that be, like, the opposite of rehabilitation? I'm just sayin'."

Puck sent him a cold look and suddenly Artie wished he hadn't said anything. But then Puck sighed and rubbed his face with his hands, "That duet thing Kurt did was really that good?"

Artie and Finn had filled Puck in on the reasons why they had to keep Kurt away from that Dalton guy on the ride home from the show, including describing Kurt's Victor/Victoria number. "It was, like, _epic_," Artie insisted, looking around for where Mercedes had gone off to so she could back him up. "The singing, the dancing, the stage presence? If some other team gets him, we're totally hosed."

"Even now that I'm back?"

"Dude," Artie insisted, checking to make sure Puck wasn't pre-pissed before he said this, "you're good and everything, and we totally need you on the team, but Kurt is … unique, I guess."

"I'm the Puckerone!" Puck laughed. "I'm hella unique." Artie laughed with him, especially when Puck flexed his arms in a muscle-man pose. "But I need a win, bro, so if you say we gotta have him, then we're gonna do everything we can to keep the dude on our side."

"But what _can_ we do?" Artie asked, wondering how this could be the same Puck that had almost walked out of Tina's party at the mere suggestion that he might have to kiss Kurt. Sure, Artie wouldn't have been thrilled about having to kiss a guy, either, but he would have done it. Especially if it kept the game going long enough that he would have been able to kiss Tina again. It's not like Kurt had cooties or anything ridiculous like that. Anyone secure in their identity and not obsessed with what other people thought about them would have felt the same as Artie, right? It wasn't that big of a deal.

* * *

Quinn sat next to Sam during Chemistry, after having traded in that cretin Ben Israel as her lab partner, and tried not to stare a hole into Santana's head. Why did she have to go and suggest that stupid Spin the Bottle game? Why did Quinn have to go along with it? She knew nothing good ever came of it, and yet somehow, she had let herself believe nothing would happen.

So, Rachel kissed Artie and it was all in good fun, but Quinn saw how Finn looked at his friend differently now. She saw how insecure he really was about his relationship with the loud-mouthed hobbit and as much as Quinn wanted to ignore that, she couldn't. As messed up as it was, she kind of wanted them to be happy together. Not only did it make Finn, who she still cared about, happy, but it kept the glee club cohesive. If not for their relationship it was all _jocks versus nerds_ and Quinn felt herself falling into that trap more often than she felt comfortable with.

Maybe it had something to do with her tight Cheerios uniform or the way her ponytail tickled the back of her neck at least fifty times a day. Maybe it was the aches and pains in all her muscles after a particularly brutal practice. Maybe it was how the uniform and the attitude that went with it made Mercedes more distant and Quinn's mother more proud.

Whatever it was, Quinn didn't like it. She had to keep Finn and Rachel together and she had to keep Santana from messing with Puck and whatever his deal was recently. Speaking of, shouldn't he be here right now? Was he already back to skipping classes and getting in trouble? As much as she cared about Puck, and she did, Quinn felt like maybe he deserved the consequences of his actions. A few more absences and Quinn knew he was in for a suspension.

Not that she'd been keeping track, or anything. No, her romantic attentions were focused on Sam right now. He was cute and sweet in a dorky sort of way, and she really liked that about him. He was the perfect way to get over Puck and what they could never, ever have together.

As Quinn left class, her arm on Sam's, the boy got a phone call. "Hey," he said to Quinn, "it's Puckerman! I wonder where he is?" Sam answered the phone and after a few exclamations of, "No way!" and "Whoa, dude!" Sam hung up and told her what had happened to Kurt.

As Quinn tried to soak in this unexpected piece of news, the only thing she could think was, "Why was Puck the first to find out about it?"

"I guess he helped Mr. Schue get that Karofsky guy off Kurt," Sam explained with a shrug, dropping her off at her locker and heading towards his.

Huh. Puck had actually helped another member of the glee club. He'd helped _Kurt_. Maybe he was changing for the better instead of for the worse. Quinn decided to pray that was the case.

* * *

"Did you hear?" Brittany asked Rachel during art class, one more hour before Rachel could see Finn again at lunch. "Karofsky tried to murder Kurt this morning. Quinn says it means big trouble."

"Oh, no!" Rachel cried. "Is everyone okay?" Brittany had said, "Tried to murder," but she wasn't always the best authority on _details_. "What happened?"

"Well, Puck told Sam who told Quinn that Karofsky wanted to kiss Kurt, but that Kurt wouldn't let him." Brittany sighed, "I know the feeling. Of course, I never tried to strangle anyone with my bare hands. Except that one time, with Elmo…"

Rachel was too worried about Kurt to think about what Brittany had said, so she packed up her sculpture and said, "Miss Burns? I'm not feeling well. Could I go to the nurse, please?"

Of course, her acting was top notch and Miss Burns didn't suspect a thing, so Rachel proceeded directly to Finn's classroom and interrupted the class, saying, "Mr. Gilroy? Principal Figgins needs to see Finn Hudson right away."

"Why didn't he just use the intercom?" the math teacher asked, pointing up at the speaker next to the clock above his whiteboard.

"It's broken again," Rachel replied easily with a shrug. "I guess the old-school technology of a student's legs really is better."

Gilroy smiled and nodded, letting Finn gather up his things and leave as he resumed the class. Finn followed Rachel down the hall for a few steps before asking, "I thought you had art this hour and you only help out in the office before school…"

"Something happened," Rachel told Finn. "I can't believe they would call Sam and not you! I mean, you're practically family now and-"

"Rache," Finn interrupted her with a gentle hand on her arm, stopping them in their tracks. "What's going on? I _knew_ something was wrong! Did Burt have another heart attack?"

"No," Rachel said, taking a deep breath and realizing that she'd skipped about five steps ahead. She explained the situation as best she could from what Brittany had told her and then asked, "Where's your phone?"

"It's in my locker," her boyfriend explained, hurrying down the hallway on those damn long legs. Rachel loved the fact that Finn was tall, she really did, but sometimes he was just too fast for her to be able to keep up, especially if she was wearing cute shoes. "My mom said that if I got it confiscated one more time that she would stop paying for it and you know I have no time for a job this year, what with you and glee club and football." Quickly, he spun the combination dial and Rachel couldn't believe how much her hands were shaking in anxiety over finding out just what had happened.

"Here we go," Finn nodded, pulling the phone off of the top shelf and pressing a few buttons before holding it up to his ear and listening. "Okay, Kurt's fine. He didn't even need to see a doctor, but everyone's at the police station and Burt says Karofsky's getting expelled."

"Good riddance," Rachel sighed in relief. "Do you think, maybe, we should just go home? I don't think I can focus on school until I see Kurt's safe and sound."

"You're really that upset?" Finn asked, once again confused by the many intriguing layers that were Rachel Berry. "It's not like he's _your_ almost-brother."

"Finn," Rachel said, taking his hand and holding it above her heart, "there're three people I love more than myself: you and my dads. If something this horrible could happen to Kurt in our town, I don't even want to think about what could happen to my family. It's a slippery slope from harassing one kid to burning crosses on people's lawns, Finn. The hatred-"

"Not to step on your words or whatever," Finn broke in, "but isn't that a little … reactionist? I mean, you said something about Karofsky getting mad because Kurt wouldn't kiss him, which totally blows my mind, by the way. I'm sure your dads are gonna be fine. Everyone loves them!"

"Not everyone," Rachel told her boyfriend quietly, remembering very poignantly the tiny comments here and there that her dads always told her to ignore. "Not even close."

* * *

It was after dinner before Kurt could get a moment to himself long enough to make the call he'd been dying to make all day. _Please_, he thought, _please let Blaine's offer of friendship be real._

"Yo," the boy answered, "this is Blaine."

"Hey," Kurt said, clearing his throat before he could really give his words some voice. Damn Karofsky and his stupid, meaty hands bruising Kurt's windpipe. "It's Kurt. Hummel. From Lima?"

"Yeah," Blaine laughed kindly, "I remember, Kurt. What's up? Just calling to chat?"

Kurt sighed, "No. I wish I was, but … something happened."

"Uh-oh," Blaine's voice was full of sympathy, but still oddly hopeful. "What was it?"

Kurt didn't know where to begin, so he started with the question that had been on his mind since the fight he'd had with his dad on the way to the police station. "Do you like it there at Dalton? I mean, is it a good place for guys like us?"

Blaine took just a second to respond. "Yeah, sure. Nobody really gives a crap about stuff like that and anyone who does and shows it gets kicked out like _that_. It's actually pretty cool."

"Oh." Kurt didn't relish the idea of leaving his school and his friends, but Dalton was a boarding school. If it meant his dad could stay in their house and not have to either worry about selling the garage and moving somewhere or worry about what might happen to Kurt if he stayed in Lima, Kurt would do it. He would be on his own in a strange place, but wasn't it really the best thing for everyone?

"Are you thinking about transferring? Is this about what happened?" Blaine asked, his voice entirely compassionate, which Kurt wasn't sure whether or not he appreciated. He guessed he did, he just wasn't used to the compassion towards him being sincere.

Nodding and sighing again, Kurt said, "Yeah. Yeah, it is."

* * *

By the time the end of the school day rolled around, everyone except Kurt was back at the school building, attending Glee club rehearsal. Of course, Will realized that this would be more of a meeting and he doubted any real practicing would take place.

"So…" he began, looking out at the faces of his kids, most of them looking subdued or confused. "Has everyone heard about what happened to Kurt this morning?"

"Yeah," Tina spoke up. "It's awful! What are we going to do?"

"I already got threatened," Santana spoke up, "by some of the puck bunnies. They're pissed that Karofsky got expelled and have declared war on glee club. It's cool though, I totally cat-scratched Vanessa Garritson's face."

"Santana!" Will admonished. "We can't go around declaring war and getting in fights! School should be a place of safety and peace!"

"But it's _not_, Mr. Schue," Artie said, and the saddened look on his face made Will's heart hurt. "It's always been a war zone and I'm sorry if you haven't noticed, because what teacher _has_, but what happened to Kurt was inevitable."

"Yeah," Puck agreed, patting Artie on the shoulder. They'd been spending a lot of time together lately, which Will noticed that morning especially when they came to talk to him about the group number. He thought it really was for the best, if Artie could be a good influence on the jock. "All those times I went around dumpster-tossing and throwing slushies and beating down punks, none of the teachers seemed to care. It was like, if they didn't see it, it wasn't happening. You should get on top of that Schuester."

Will laughed in disbelief. He was getting advice on how to stop bullying from the biggest bully in the school?

"I know I was too scared to bring everything that happened to me to the authorities," Rachel spoke up then. "I wanted to be popular and I knew reporting what was going on would just undermine all my efforts. I'm sure it was the same for Kurt."

"But," Santana laughed derisively, which Will hated every time she did it, "wasn't this just one incident? 'Cause that Karofsky guy was all hiding who he really was? I mean really, just get over it, guy."

Rachel looked pissed, insisting, "That doesn't change the fact that –"

Will broke in, "Alright, enough! I get what you guys are saying. Changes have to be made and I agree. As soon as I can, I'm getting Figgins to call a faculty meeting to address this issue. Kids, no matter what 'faction' they belong to, shouldn't be subjected to the bullying and teasing and violence we've put up with for so long. I promise, we'll make some changes."

"Like what, Mr. Schue?" Puck asked, laughing with contempt. "Like that video they made us watch freshman year about how 'bullying is wrong'? It doesn't change the fact that Kurt's dad is pulling him out of school. We're screwed."

"_What_?" several people, including Will asked, though Finn was the loudest. "Since when?"

"Since this afternoon," Artie added. "We overheard Kurt and his dad arguing about it at the police station. There's no way Mr. Hummel is letting Kurt come back anytime in the next century."

Will hadn't heard that. Oh, god. They really _were_ screwed. They had enough kids for the Invitational, and they could get someone to fill in at Sectionals, but there was no way they could take Regionals without Kurt. This day had just gone from bad to worse.

"What are we going to do?" Quinn asked sadly, but Will didn't have an answer. All he could do was shrug helplessly and look around the room, hoping something would come to them.

"Kurt wouldn't want us to fall apart," Mercedes insisted. "He'd want us to keep singing."

"I was going to announce …" Will started, and then sighed, "… another boys vs. girls competition, but if we're down one boy…"

"Let's do it anyway," Artie insisted. "Puck and I have been working really hard on something, and maybe we can convince Kurt to come back in time."

"Maybe," Will shrugged, hoping Artie's enthusiasm would be infectious. "I was thinking mash-ups again, only you have to pick songs originally performed by the opposite gender. You'd be performing next week, after the Invitational, if all goes to plan. Now, I helped the boys a little bit, so if you girls would like some suggestions, I'm more than willing to help you, too."

"That's okay, Mr. Schue," Rachel insisted, shooting a harsh, competitive look towards some of the boys in the room. "We've got this."

* * *

Somehow, Santana managed to slip into the boys' bathroom after glee, when Puck was the only one in there, stuffing a doorstop under the door to keep everyone else out. Puck finished at the urinal and zipped up before she could get a good look and turned around to see her standing there, arms crossed under her boobs.

"What?"

"Why don't you want to be with me, Puckerman? Did you get, like, molested in prison or something? Because that's the only reason I can think why you wouldn't want a piece of this." The girl pursed her lips and flared her nostrils at him, waiting for his answer.

She wasn't going to like it. "I wasn't _molested_," he scoffed. "I'm just … trying something new."

"You've gone gay?"

"No," Puck insisted, trying to go for the door before she stopped him. Damn, he really couldn't hit a girl, and he couldn't get by her without hitting her, so, "Fine! Gary thinks that the main reason I flipped out was my freaking 'intimacy issues', his words, not mine. He thinks if I can avoid chicks like you, where it doesn't mean _anything_, then I'll get better or something."

"Nothing?" she asked, not a _hint_ of vulnerability in her damn voice. "Not anything?"

"_Nothing_," he agreed. "Not since you left me the first time, over my freaking _credit score_. Look, just leave me alone, alright? Find someone else to scratch your itches, 'cause it ain't me anymore."

He'd almost gotten around her when Santana whispered, "She's never going to change her mind about you. Some stupid glee project isn't going to change that."

Puck didn't want to stop, but he did, taking in a sharp breath. He knew Santana was talking about Quinn and he knew she was right. He and Quinn were done for good, like Gary had been saying over and over again. Stealing money to impress Quinn was just stupid, but he'd been blinded by anger and frustration and hopelessness. Gary said he just had to set all that aside and learn how to be okay by himself, without a girl in his life. Without _any_ girls in his life for the time being. It sucked major ass, but if he couldn't make Gary believe he was going along with the therapy, Puck would end up back in the slammer.

As he finally gathered himself and passed Santana, pulling the doorstop out and flinging it behind him so it scattered across the bathroom tile, Puck wondered for about the millionth time if he was actually buying into what Gary was trying to sell him. He hadn't wanted to go back to Santana at all since telling her things were over, so maybe Puck _really did_ want to get better.

* * *

_Yay, angst-fest! Review and let me know how you want things to work out! I've got my ideas, of course, but I'd be interested in hearing what everyone else thinks, too!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Posted: 11/5/10_

* * *

Chapter 6

"So he's gone?" Artie asked Finn as the boy pushed him down the hall on the way to first period. "But, that's so quick!"

"Burt didn't want anything else to happen to him," Finn shrugged sadly. "Is it weird that I'm going to miss him? I mean, this place is gonna be so dull…"

"It's not weird," Artie assured his friend. "But, we have to figure out some way of getting Kurt back. Do you even know where he's going now?"

"I'm not certain, but Dalton was mentioned when I was eavesdropping on my mom's conversation with Burt last night. It's a boarding school, so Kurt's dad wouldn't even have to move."

"And they get Kurt in their glee club," Artie pointed out, throwing the breaks on his chair and thanking good luck that he'd remembered to tighten his seatbelt after taking off his coat.

Finn ran into the back of Artie's chair and cried out, "Oh, man! I didn't even think of that! This is so bad!"

"What?" Puck asked as he joined them. "Dog eat your homework or somethin'?"

"I don't have a dog," Finn insisted quietly, but Artie had no time for that.

"Dalton got Kurt. He's defected across enemy lines and unless we can convince both him and his dad that it's safe to come back, we're completely screwed."

Pursing his lips and clenching his jaw, Puck nodded. "I'm on it."

"We're _all_ on it," Finn insisted. "We just have to bring it up again at the start of glee this afternoon."

"You know this is going to boil down to the righteous application of fear around this place, Hudson," Puck insisted. "Why don't-"

"Does the tire-slashing incident ring any bells, guys?" Artie broke in. "We've gotta be smart about this. Please? If glee falls apart, there's no way I'm getting Tina back."

"If that happened, Rachel would probably kill someone," Finn added.

"Fine," Puck agreed. "I'll play nice. For now."

* * *

"It's gonna be great, kid," Burt insisted, behind the wheel of Kurt's Navigator as they drove to Dalton. "You should be thankful they could get you in at all."

Kurt wondered if his budding friendship with Blaine had anything to do with the relative ease of his mid-semester transfer to the boarding school. He was grateful, to some degree, but he felt awful about leaving Lima just a few days before the invitational. His glee club, which he'd been a part of since the beginning, needed him. Sure, there was glee club at Dalton, too, and they were really good and could use someone with his vocal range, but it couldn't be the same, could it? Kurt didn't respond to his dad's assurances. He just sat there, watching the interstate roll by and hoping for the best.

* * *

"Mercedes," Rachel demanded as the girls of glee club convened before school to work on their number for the competition, "Finn told me that Kurt's transferring. Do you have any details? He called you about it, right?"

"Yeah," Mercedes sighed, not really wanting to relive the conversation that put both her and Kurt in tears. "Kurt's dad is convinced that he wouldn't be safe here anymore, and I think he might be right. Did you guys read Ben Isreal's blog?"

"I never read that trash," Rachel insisted, turning up her nose.

"Oh! I do!" Brittany called, raising her hand excitedly. "Jacob said Karofsky got expelled only because Kurt lied about what he did. But why would Kurt lie?"

"He didn't," Mercedes replied, starting to get worked up again. "I know it's not Christian, but when I see that Jewfro kid, oh, he's gonna get it."

"I'm with ya, sister," Santana smirked, holding her hand out for a high-five. Ever since doing their duet together, Mercedes and the Latina Cheerio had been seeing eye-to-eye more often. "Everyone knew Karofsky was the biggest closet case at this school, didn't they?"

"I had no idea," Tina spoke up, "but I haven't spoken to him directly since third grade, so…"

"I _wondered_ why he would never make out with me," Brittany sighed with a shrug. "I guess now I know."

"See," Santana smiled, "you've still got a good record, Britt."

Mercedes noted the way Brittany started to smile at Santana's comment and then cut herself off, like she'd been doing something she wasn't supposed to. Were those two still mad at each other over the stupid duets? That just seemed silly. Of course, Mercedes didn't have many female friends and definitely wasn't _sleeping_ with any of them, so maybe she just didn't get it.

* * *

"So, how has your week been so far, Noah? Did you talk to that boy … Artie?" Gary asked, sitting back in his chair and adjusting his reading glasses. For looking like such an old guy, Gary was actually alright, Puck figured. Even if he did look like he'd wither and die any second.

"Yeah," he replied, sitting down on the couch and clasping his hands in his lap. This was the first time he'd seen Gary since going back to school, and he could definitely say the guy's office was much more comfortable than the conference room in Juvie. This chair actually had some padding to it. "He's pretty cool. We're working on a project together for glee."

"Wonderful," the therapist nodded, scooting around a bit like he was trying to get comfortable. Maybe he was one of those guys that actually liked hard, metal chairs. He'd seemed comfortable enough before. "And what about Santana Lopez? Did you tell her your physical relationship is over?"

Puck sighed and shrugged, "Yeah, I did that, too. She was convinced I'd been messed with or something while I was locked up, but I just told her what you said about it being meaningless."

"And did she get angry with you?"

"Nah," Puck said, "and I didn't really expect her to. She was just like, whatever. Pissed, but not _angry_, you know?"

"Mildly displeased?" the therapist said with one raised eyebrow and a slight smirk.

"Yeah, let's go with that one," Puck chuckled. He liked Gary's easy-going manner and how he never really seemed to be judging him. Not like everyone else did, anyway. Even Mr. Schue judged Puck, when he seemed to like everyone else just fine. It sucked.

"Do you expect any sort of retaliation?"

Puck thought about that for a moment. Santana could be vindictive and catty but, "No. She's already over it, I think. Like I told you before, she doesn't even really like me anymore. Besides, there's way too much going on for her to spend too much energy on getting back at me, dude."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because our ace-in-the-hole got himself attacked and now he's changing schools. Everyone's freaking out and I…"

"What?" Gary asked gently, but he managed not to sound … what was the word? … _patronizing_, at the same time.

"I feel kinda bad," Puck admitted. "I mean, I haven't made the guy feel exactly _welcome_ or anything."

"He was one of the _dweebs_ you and your friends used to bother?"

Puck sighed, "Yeah, man. Like, real bad. And-"

"And what?" Gary prodded.

Puck didn't want to tell the therapist about that stupid game of Spin the Bottle, because it was retarded and he kind of felt bad about it after what Karofsky had done. Like, there had to have been an easier, less psychopathic way for the hockey player to go about getting kissed by a dude. After Gary stared him down for almost five minutes straight, Puck relented and said these thoughts out loud.

"I see," Gary replied. "And, in the past, what have your actions shown your attitude towards homosexuals to be?"

"Um," Puck thought about it, remembering how he teased Finn in particular about being gay because he was joining glee club. "Not so good, I guess. But, like, _all_ the dudes are like that," he tried to explain.

"And maybe that was the problem," Gary suggested. "This boy who attacked your friend felt so compressed by the attitudes you and his other peers expressed, that he cracked under the strain of wanting to appear normal. Not so unlike how you cracked under the strain of your falling out with Quinn Fabray, if I'm not mistaken."

"Dude," Puck shot the old guy a withering look, "you cannot be serious. This wasn't my fault and I'm nothing like that Karofsky douche!"

Gary shrugged and readjusted his glasses. "Desperate times…"

Shaking off the creepy feeling that he and David Karofsky had anything in common, Puck smirked and said, "Speaking of, when d'you think I could start asking chicks out again? 'Cause there's this really cute-"

Cutting Puck off, Gary asked, "Were you angry at all this week?" After Puck's nod, the therapist continued, "How much of the time? Thirty percent?"

"Like, maybe, seventy-five," Puck answered, wondering once again why he couldn't help but tell this guy the truth. Puck was the best liar he knew.

"And that is why I'm still saying no. You have to stop looking to other people to fill that void that was created when your father left."

"Seriously?" Puck scoffed. "This again? I told you, it was a long time ago and he was an ass. I'm _over_ it."

"Then why did you ruin a Seven-Eleven and try to steal eight-hundred dollars? Wasn't it to get back at Quinn for separating you from your daughter and severing your relationship, just another person abandoning you? Isn't that what you told me?"

Puck knew any one of the dozen pithy answers he had lined up wouldn't satisfy the shrink, so he sighed and sat back in his chair, knowing that for now, he had to let go of the badassness and just talk. That was the only way he'd ever get out from under all this bull crap, so he might as well not fight it.

* * *

When Kurt and his dad pulled up to Dalton, Blaine was waiting for them, stepping outside and calling, "Hello, Hummels! Welcome."

"This is the kid you told me about?" Burt asked Kurt quietly, with that gruff tone to his voice that made Kurt roll his eyes.

"Yes, dad. And he's just a friend, so cool it. You know what the doctor said." Once he was sure his dad was properly cowed, Kurt raised his voice and called, "Hi, Blaine. This is my dad. Dad this is Blaine." After his new friend and his dad shook hands, Kurt caught Blaine's eye and said, "Thanks for taking time away from class and everything. I mean, I can't believe how quickly this is happening."

"I can't believe you didn't leave that school earlier!" Blaine insisted, leading the Hummel men up the stairs and into the school building. Kurt loved how it looked more European in design than the obviously-built-in-the-seventies McKinley building. This place had class, and he hoped that would help him adjust. As excited as he was to be in a place where he could breathe easy and actually focus on being at school for once, Kurt already missed his friends and his locker and even – oh, god why? – the school lunch. It wasn't even organic!

"Yeah, well," Burt replied for him. "Usually no one pushes the Hummels around." He squeezed Kurt's shoulder and all of a sudden Kurt realized that he wasn't going to see his dad every day anymore. He knew Carole was going to look after Burt, but that didn't mean he wasn't still worried. Maybe he shouldn't have suggested this Dalton thing. Maybe it was a bad idea. Interrupting Kurt's thoughts, Burt laughed, a welcome sound, and said sadly, "That's one thing I gave you, huh, son? My stubborn streak."

"I think you're forgetting," Kurt smiled, at home in the age-old conversation, "that Mom was twice as stubborn as you are."

Laughing again, Burt nodded, "Yeah, you're right. Now where's this office we're supposed to go to?"

Kurt looked over and saw Blaine happily watching him with his dad, even maybe a little envious, before he smiled and pointed, "Right this way. Follow me."

* * *

Quinn knew she needed some time to lay down the law before Mr. Schue showed up for glee, so she politely suggested to one of her under-Cheerios that she should ask him for help with a fictional "personal problem". Then, all she had to do was wait for everyone to show up. Sam was already at her side, like the good boy he was; Brittany looked lost and alone without Santana, Kurt, or Quinn to sit next to; Finn and Rachel and the Asians were all annoying in their couple-dom; and Mercedes was sticking close to Santana for lack of anyone better to cling to. And for some reason, Puck came in pushing Artie's wheelchair, the two of them all buddy-buddy like they'd been all week.

It made Quinn smile a little bit, before she realized why she was standing up in the front of the choir room. "Attention, everyone!" she called, waiting as all eyes turned toward her. "Thank you. Now, I know I'm not technically the Captain of this group, but I think we can all agree that something needs to be done. By now, I'm sure you are all aware that Kurt's dad transferred him to Dalton Academy as of today. This cannot stand."

"I agree," Rachel spoke up, standing and taking a place at Quinn's side, which made the blonde girl a little edgy. She liked Rachel best from about ten feet away, thank you very much. "But the final decision is Mr. Hummel's. How can we change his mind without overly stressing his already-fragile body?"

"I have a plan," Quinn insisted, holding up her finger when several people, including Puck, opened their mouths to speak. "We have to remind Kurt and his father that what happened with Karofsky was a fluke and that most of us in this school appreciate him. _Besides_ us in glee club. Now, I've got the Cheerios in line, but what about the other major cliques?"

"Most of the dudes on the football team don't mind him," Finn spoke up, "especially after he was on the team last year. It's only a few, like Azimio, that have a problem with him."

"Alright," Quinn nodded, smiling at Finn in a way she hoped was friendly, but not overly so. "Since all of you boys are on the team, you're going to have a _chat_ with Azimio and anyone else you think needs it. I don't want to see bruises or broken bones, but anything short and you have my blessing. Got it?"

"Got it," Puck smirked, nodding at Finn and patting Artie on the shoulder.

"What about dance club?" Quinn asked, turning to Rachel and Brittany.

"Please," Rachel laughed. "None of the girls could care less and most of the guys in there are, _you know_. If they aren't gay, they're certainly teased like they are."

"But I made out with all of them!" Brittany insisted, pouting a little, which made Quinn want to smile, but she held it in.

"Jazz band?"

"Taken care of," Artie insisted.

"Nerd contingent?"

"Under control," Tina replied.

"What about you, Mercedes? Who are you in with?"

"I don't know," the girl shrugged. "This is the only place I really _belong_."

"That's perfectly fine, sweetie," Quinn insisted, stepping forward to take Mercedes' hand. "Because _you_ will be in charge of keeping us in contact with Kurt. It's the most important job of all." The girl smiled and once again, Quinn found herself happy that she was the cause of Mercedes' happiness. Before joining glee and before having Beth, Quinn had never really given much thought to how anyone else felt, if thinking about it didn't affect her in some way. But now? It felt right and good to put a smile on Mercedes' face.

"Now that we all have our assignments," Santana spoke up, voice harsh, probably because Quinn hadn't given her an assignment, "what do we do? Just tell them not to mess with Kurt?"

"No," Quinn said, turning around and taking a stack of lavender-colored papers out of her folder. "Get them to sign these. It's an anti-bullying pledge. You will get people to promise to stop saying hurtful words and doing hurtful actions. There will be rewards for turning in evidence of mistreatment to the authorities and there will be punishments for either refusing to sign or for being caught violating the pledge in any way."

"Seriously?" Puck asked her. "What can you do? You're just a chick!"

"Oh, ho," Quinn laughed, wishing she was _surprised_ at Puck's comment. "Look, Dalton has a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and McKinley doesn't. That's the major barrier to getting Kurt back here where he belongs. Since there's no way our administration would put such a policy in place, we'll have to do it for them. First consequence: Cheerios will not be allowed to date pledge-breakers. I expect members of other groups wouldn't mind following this rule as well. Second consequence: pledge-breakers will have their names, e-mail addresses and phone numbers published in a very prominent section on Jacob's gossip blog and students will be encouraged to give them polite but numerous reminders that their behavior won't be tolerated. You can arrange that for us, can't you Rachel?"

"Sure," the girl nodded nervously. "But what if publicity doesn't slow them down? I personally think Azimio is proud of all the mean things he's done."

"Third consequence," Quinn smirked. "It's not exactly stoning, but I've laid plans for an organized campaign of slushie revenge. Pledge-breakers would face at least fifty slushies in one day, dealt out by Cheerios, football players, band nerds, drama geeks, and the glee club. No exceptions."

"Dude, that's fierce!" Artie cried with a smile. "Once it happens the first time, there's no way anyone would break the pledge if they could help it."

"That's the idea," Quinn nodded. "Now, is everyone with me?" She sent a pointed look to Puck, who looked down at the pledge in his hand for a few silent moments before signing it.

"We're with you, Quinn," he replied, holding up the piece of paper so everyone could see it. The room cheered and Quinn knew she was onto something. Sure, it meant spending what was left of her political clout and grabbing more of it tooth-and-nail, but she knew things had to change. If no one else would or could do it, it would have to be her.

As kids scattered, taking their pledge sheets with them to canvas the school for signatures, Quinn caught Puck, waving the others ahead. "Thank you for signing," she said. "I know it won't be easy for you."

"It's alright," he shrugged. "I haven't been beating people up so much, anyways. I'm cool."

"Can I ask you to do something else?" Quinn added, reaching to touch his arm before she decided it would be a very bad idea.

Frowning at the action she took back, Puck asked, "What? It doesn't involve making out, does it?"

Quinn laughed a little at the wry disappointment in his voice. "No. I want you to take Finn with you to Dalton and apologize to Kurt for _everything_. That includes being too much of a wuss to give him one little kiss at Tina's party."

"What? That's-!"

"Do it," Quinn insisted. "It won't change anything between us, but it has to be done. Kurt has to know that _everyone_ on the team wants him to come back, not just his close friends."

Puck thought about it for a moment before sighing, "Fine. I suppose I do feel a little bad for overreacting."

"It wasn't very badass of you," Quinn agreed with a laugh, gathering up her things and following Puck from the choir room. "And I _know_ you can be better than that."

One more long look and Puck nodded before waving goodbye and walking away. Whatever was going on with Puck was definitely making a difference and Quinn knew that if only he had been this way last year, things between them would have gone differently. As it was, Puck was her past, and although it was important not to forget the past, lest one make the same mistakes, Quinn also knew the importance of moving forward.

One sneakered step at a time.

Taking out her phone, Quinn dialed and waited for someone to answer, saying when it happened, "Hello? Mrs. Karofsky? I'm one of David's friends from school and I'd like to talk to you about Dalton Academy. I really think it might be the best place for him now that he can't attend McKinley."

* * *

"Hey," Santana called as she caught up with Brittany in the hallway, "can I talk to you?"

"I guess," the blonde shrugged, following when Santana pulled her into an alcove. "But Dr. Phil says I have to protect my heart."

Santana sighed, "I know. I just wanted to say, I'm sorry I hurt your feelings. Can we be best friends again? Like, not even with benefits or anything, for now, 'cause that might not be the best idea. I just miss you."

Slowly, Brittany smiled, the edges of her upturned eyes crinkling a little bit. "I guess that would be okay. I missed you, too."

Feeling herself smile, Santana was almost surprised by the way her heart flip-flopped a little when Brittany held out her pinky finger. She knew not everything could be forgiven at once, but this was a start, right?

Locking her pinky with Brittany's, Santana felt like maybe everything was okay, even if Puck was still being kind of a jerk. Well, he could do whatever the hell he wanted, Santana was done. And after Quinn's scary-smart speech, she knew she wasn't going to be top-bitch at this school any time soon. But, she could be the one dispensing Quinn's justice on the unsuspecting populace, which sounded much more Santana's style, in the long run.

* * *

_Ensemble fics are exhausting! So many characters to keep up with! I just finished this chapter, so a review would really help me get going on the next one. Please?_


	7. Chapter 7

_Posted: 11/6/10_

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Chapter 7

Kurt sat in his new dorm room alone. His new roommate, a guy named Kevin, seemed really nice and everything. Kind of nerdy, like Artie to tell the truth, but it made Kurt almost comfortable. There were no odd looks when Kevin first heard his voice and none when Kurt put up his decorations and hung up his clothes in his closet. Just a, "Welcome," and a, "Hey, cool laptop," and that was it.

It was weird, to say the least.

But then Kevin went to a study group or something and Kurt didn't feel like tagging along, so now he was here, alone. He had about fifteen texts from Mercedes that he had yet to open, a class schedule that looked like the codex to some forgotten language, a promise from Blaine that he would stop by before too long, and a scarf around his neck.

Wincing, Kurt turned on the light over his dresser mirror and lamented no longer having his own, private bathroom with all his products carefully in place and his vanity with its comfortable stool. This kinda sucked in comparison. But then, as Kurt unwrapped the scarf from around his neck, he realized that being here didn't suck nearly as much as living in Lima did. Especially for a guy like him.

After a short knock, Kurt's door opened a few inches and Blaine stuck his head in. "Hey, mind if I come in?"

"Yeah," Kurt replied, trying to wrap his neck back up in the scarf, but failing horribly.

When Blaine saw the bruises, his mouth dropped in shock and he gently pulled the scarf from Kurt's hands, saying, "This is the thing that happened to you? Man, you said it was bad, but…"

"Yeah, alright," Kurt sighed, "I didn't want anyone to know, okay? I'm not the kind of guy who usually gets pushed around. And showing up at a new school with _this_? Don't tell anyone, okay?"

Blaine nodded. "Of course. I mean, I get it. I had a few bruises to hide when I first got here too."

"You had bullies?"

"Not exactly," Blaine shrugged, taking Kevin's desk chair and sitting on it backwards so he could rest his crossed arms and his chin on the back, watching as Kurt sat down on his bed. "I had a dad."

"Oh."

"And I had a friend who had a dad a lot like my dad."

Kurt knew he wouldn't like the answer based on Blaine's sad expression, but still he asked, "What happened to your friend?"

Taking a deep breath before blowing it out, Blaine replied, "He shot himself with his dad's gun. On purpose."

"Oh, no!" Kurt breathed, reaching out to lay a hand on Blaine's arm and actually getting surprised when Blaine didn't flinch away like Finn would have. "That's awful."

Shrugging, Blaine smiled a little and replied, "But that's what got my mom motivated enough to send me here. She and my grandpa visit once a month and it's great. So much better."

Hazarding a guess, Kurt asked, "The boy who died? He wasn't just your friend, was he?"

"Mmn-mmh," Blaine replied, shaking his head and fighting through whatever bad memories he had with another little shake before taking one of Kurt's hands. "That's why I'm so glad you're here, where you're safe."

Kurt wanted to brag about how his dad was his best ally, but he knew it would be insensitive and cruel, so he kept his mouth shut. It wouldn't do to offend his first friend here at Dalton and his first gay friend ever.

"So," Blaine said, looking around the room, "what are you going to sing for your glee audition tomorrow?"

"Um," Kurt stammered, not having given it much thought. "I could do … oh! Maybe 'Rose's Turn'? It seems fitting."

"I don't really know that one," Blaine shrugged. "But I'm sure it'll be good. You know, I saw a YouTube video of your cheerleading performance at nationals. _Tr__è__s impressionnant_."

"_Merci_," Kurt replied with a laugh, feeling himself blush a little. He had no idea his fourteen minute Celine Dion medley was posted for the world to see, but knowing Coach Sylvester's need for constant publicity, he wasn't surprised.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Mercedes caught up to Quinn at the Cheerio's locker and said, "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Quinn took a look around before readjusting her ponytail and replying, "Sure. What's up? Have you spoken to Kurt since yesterday?"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "He's not answering my calls or my texts, but I have hope. He's just overwhelmed right now."

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"Um," Mercedes paused, readjusting her books and trying to figure out how to say this. "I just … I wanted to say first, thank you for standing up for Kurt and all of us. But do you really think … well, I'm not sure it's gonna last. You know?"

"You don't think I'm serious?" Quinn clarified, frowning a little at Mercedes' tentative nod. "Look, I know I haven't always been the nicest person at this school. Even now, I have to fight the urge to leave hurtful, if _hilarious_, messages on Rachel's Myspace page. But the difference this year is … I _know _what it feels like, Mercedes. Being looked down on? This isn't just some stunt to get Kurt to come back."

Mercedes looked into Quinn's face for a long time before nodding. "So, this pledge stays in place, even after all of us original glee-clubbers are gone?"

"Mercedes," Quinn said gently, but with a wry smirk, "it's just the same as before, really. It's the same herd mentality peer pressure that's always been used to keep kids in line. I've just redrawn the lines."

"Girl," Mercedes smiled with a small laugh, "remind me never to get on your bad side." Quinn laughed and drew Mercedes into a quick hug before grabbing a few books from her locker and flouncing away with one last wave. If only all the popular girls really _knew_ how it felt to be different and looked down upon, Mercedes thought maybe the world would be a better place.

* * *

Rachel sighed as she poured over Mr. Schuester's sheet music books during lunch because Finn had skipped out of school to go apologize to Kurt with Puck and all the rest of her friends were busy carrying out Quinn's orders. She couldn't say she enjoyed having control of the glee club ripped away from her, but Rachel knew that Quinn's hostile takeover was temporary. The blonde girl knew how much Rachel had invested in glee club and that the rightful title of Team Captain belonged to her.

Besides, Quinn was Head Cheerleader again. She wouldn't have time to lead two clubs. Would she?

The peace and quiet of her self-pity session were broken when the choir room door opened and a voice said, "Oh, hey, Rachel."

Looking up, she saw the new kid, Sam. At first she smiled, because it was important to be welcoming so that Sam would stick with them until he felt more like a part of the glee club family, but then she thought about why he might be there and suspiciously covered up the books she was looking at. "Don't even think about spying for the boys' team. There's no way you're going to beat us."

"Not even if we convince Kurt to come back?" Sam said with a grin. His smile faded as the moment grew awkward, and then he shook himself and said, "No, I'm not here to spy. I think I left my Astronomy homework in here this morning and I totally have to turn it in right after lunch so I don't get an Incomplete. I've got enough of those on my record."

"Really?" Rachel asked. "But, I mean, I always see you and Quinn studying. Finn even mentioned that sometimes you're working on other stuff in the weight room. I'd expect you'd have excellent grades with that kind of ambition."

Shyly, Sam shrugged and slid over to the risers, pushing a few chairs around until he picked up a piece of paper and said, "Found it!"

"Oh, good," Rachel replied, going back to her book of popular songs of the last thirty years.

When Sam next spoke, "D'you think I should have gone with them?" he was a lot closer than Rachel would have expected which made her jump.

"Gone with who?" Rachel asked, a hand to her chest after the slight fright he'd given her.

"Finn and Puckerman," Sam replied. "To go apologize to Kurt. I mean, I didn't fight his decision not to do a duet together and I feel kind of crappy about that now."

Rachel smiled. "No. Believe me, if that's all you had to apologize to Kurt for, you're miles ahead of those two. I mean, I love Finn to death, but he put up with his friends bullying Kurt for years. And Puck? Let's just say that slushies were just a beverage before any of us met Puck."

Sam thought about that for a moment before laughing and chuckling. "Alright. Thanks, Rachel. And don't worry. I won't tell the guys about 'Livin' on a Prayer.' My lips are sealed!"

Rachel squeaked in outrage as Sam left, snapping closed the book and wondering how Sam could have known that this Bon Jovi song was one of the two in the girls' mash-up. It wasn't like she'd even … oh. She'd written, "Song 1 for mash-up: definite," at the top of the page.

Good going, Rachel.

* * *

"There he is!" a familiar voice caught Kurt's attention as he was walking from class back to his second meeting with the Dalton glee club. He had to be imagining things, right? There was no way– "Kurt!"

"Finn?" he asked, seeing the unmistakably tall boy towering over everyone else. But, there was someone with him, "And Puck? I hope you don't think you're here to kidnap me. I'm perfectly happy here, so go away."

"I don't think you mean that," Finn insisted, following Kurt all the way to the arched auditorium doors. "Can't we just talk to you for a few minutes? Please?"

Kurt looked over his shoulder at his new glee club and as well as his audition had gone the day before and as exciting as it was meeting new people, he knew he didn't feel any sort of loyalty for them yet. Not that Finn and Puck had to know that. But, curious about what had made them come all this way just to talk to him, Kurt set an hand on his hip and said, "Fine. You have two minutes."

"First," Puck said, clearing his throat once, "we wanna apologize for not always being cool about who you are. Like, I'm sorry I tossed you in the dumpster all those times. Seriously."

"And I'm sorry," Finn added, "that I didn't stick up for you like I should have for so long. And for saying that word in your basement …"

"Well, as fantastic as those apologies were," Kurt rolled his eyes, "it doesn't change a thing. I'm going to school here now because it's safer and my dad won't worry as much. You'll just have to learn to get along without me."

"You can be safe at McKinley, too, dude!" Finn insisted, looking to Puck for help.

The shorter jock nodded, "Yeah. Quinn's totally laying down the law up in that place. Like, wpchhh!" Puck gave a little flicking motion to go along with his whip sound effect and Kurt rolled his eyes again. Then, Puck took a piece of paper out of his pocket and unfolded it, handing it to Kurt, "Look."

Pursing his lips and wondering how long he would have to put up with this, Kurt grudgingly read the (purple?) piece of paper out loud, "I promise never to say hurtful words or take hurtful action against any of my classmates for any reason. I understand that breaking this pledge will result in several consequences, including public humiliation. I promise to stand up against those of my classmates that would break this pledge by reporting their behavior to the administration and to Quinn Fabray." Added to the bottom of the typed portion was a scrawled sentence that read, "I promise not to date or make out with anyone who would refuse to sign this pledge." The first name on the list below was something that looked like, "Noah Puckerman. And there's at least twenty other names on here."

"I know, dude," Puck replied. "Finn and I made all the football players sign. Quinn's having the whole school do it."

"What good is a piece of paper going to do me?" Kurt asked. "I mean, all of the things Karofsky and Azimio and even you, Puck, have done to me were against _some _rule written on _some _piece of paper _somewhere_."

"I know," Puck insisted, "but the consequences for breaking those rules were badass, like detention or whatever. Quinn's threatening to mass-slushie anyone who breaks her rules."

"So that's what public humiliation means?" Kurt asked, feeling a smile tug at his lips. "How mass are we talking?"

"Remember that time we slushied Mr. Schue?" Finn asked and Kurt nodded. "Like, five times that. Maybe even the whole school would be in on it."

"So if Azimio roughed me up for getting his friend expelled?"

Puck smirked, "Fifty slushies down his drawers, like _that_."

"Along with … what did Quinn say?" Finn asked Puck before he must have remembered. "'Polite reminders' by email and text from everyone in the school that what he did was messed up and we're not going to stand by and let it happen anymore."

"I've been saying forever," Puck shrugged, shaking his head, "that the dweebs outnumber the jocks. Without daily trips to the dumpster, I knew it was only a matter of time before somebody smart figured that out, too."

Kurt shook his head, looking down again at the piece of paper. "You guys did all this for me?"

"Uh-huh," Finn nodded, setting his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "We love you, Kurt. You're one of us and you belong at home."

"I'll still be alone," he argued. "Lima's so small, but here there are other guys like me."

"Believe me, dude," Puck scoffed. "You're not the only one in Lima. We've just been so crappy to you none of the others have wanted to admit it. Like Karofsky."

"Ugh," Kurt rolled his eyes. "Don't remind me. That was just," Kurt shivered. "I imagine it was similar to how Rachel must feel all those times Jacob hits on her. Yes, he was the right gender, but still… Eugh!"

Finn and Puck both laughed with him, disgusted looks on their faces. "Oh, dude!" Finn cried, punching Puck in the arm. "Remember when Lauren Zises got drunk at that one party the wrestling team threw and she tried to make out with you?"

"Oh, god!" Puck cried, looking like he was about to retch. "She was so strong, dude! I thought I'd never get out of that bear hug she put on me."

"Kurt," Finn said as the laughter died down. "Think about it, okay? And talk to your dad. If you want, we're performing this mash-up verses the girls," he handed Kurt a hand-labeled CD, "the day after Invitationals. Please consider joining us for either of those? It'll be fun, like a nice send-off even if you can't come back."

"I'll think about it," Kurt agreed, slipping the CD into his bag and giving the boys one final wave before pushing his way through the auditorium doors. It _had _been an awfully nice gesture.

* * *

"William?" Principal Figgins called down the hallway before classes started. "May I speak to you for a moment in my office?"

Sighing, Will followed orders, waving to Karen the receptionist on his way into the room. "What's up?"

"Have you seen this?" Figgins asked, handing Will a purple piece of paper. "They're all over the school."

Reading what looked like a pledge sheet, he asked, "And this is a problem because…?"

"Because," a voice said, and Will was surprised that he hadn't seen Sue Sylvester in the room until she spoke. Had she slipped in while he was reading? That was _creepy_. "The students are enacting a coup, Schuester. I'm not exactly surprised that it appears to be lead by my ever-ingenious Head Cheerio, but we cannot allow this to continue."

"Why not?" Will asked. "It looks perfectly reasonable to me. It says anyone who signs this pledge promises to report incidents to the authorities. That's you, Principal Figgins. This is the _opposite_ of a coup."

"It's not the pledge itself, Schue," Figgins sighed. "It's the implications. Reports of harassment will increase exponentially. Do these students imagine I sit in here all day twiddling my thumbs? No! I have a school to run! A budget to maintain! I don't have the time to deal with every single, minor, he-said/she-said dispute. I mean, you two know what these kids are like!"

"You can't disregard misbehavior because it's _inconvenient_!" Will insisted.

"Oh, come on," Sue shot back. "It's not like we haven't all done it. These teenagers need to figure out how to take care of _themselves_, William. It's a dog-eat-dog world out there and there won't be teachers and principals looking over everyone's shoulders in the real world. It's better they learn how to toughen-up and deal _now_."

"Dog-eat-dog world," Figgins parroted with a shrug and a nod, and once again Will wondered if the man ever thought for himself.

"But, there are still authorities in the adult world," Will argued. "There are police, there are supervisors, there are courts of law. Students should learn to use the resources available if they're being harassed and abused. It's not a dog-eat-dog world and I think both of you know that!"

Furious, and not knowing if he could keep his cool anymore, Will left the principal's office, too angry to do anything but storm to the choir room where, hopefully, he could calm down. Final dress rehearsal for the Invitational was this afternoon and he had a lot of work to get done before then.

* * *

It wasn't the first time Kurt got homesick, but it was the worst, when in the middle of watching a section of the 1995 BBC version of _Pride and Prejudice_ in English class, Kurt thought of a witty comment about Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy. He leaned over to whisper it to Mercedes, and then he remembered that she wasn't here. He'd returned some of her texts the night before, assuring her he was fine, but now he wasn't so sure. The boys here at Dalton were very nice, Blaine in particular, and none of them seemed to mind him being who he really was, but they weren't exactly into the things he was into. Even the glee club members didn't seem to know much about musical theater, beyond what their coach had picked out for them to do.

And, his biggest difficulty of all, was getting used to the uniform. Sure, Kurt appreciated the well-tailored blazers and slacks, and all the Windsor-knotted ties, but he couldn't really express himself through the uniform either. So far, the teachers had been letting him wear different colored scarves everyday to hide the bruises, but the Headmaster had told him in no uncertain terms that when the bruises faded, the scarves had to go.

It was _difficult _to say the least.

So, that was why, during lunch, he stole away and made a phone call.

"Hello?" the feminine voice asked. "Kurt, baby, is that you?"

"Hi, Mercedes," he replied, trying not to tear up at the sound of her voice. "I'm so glad you have lunch at the same time I do."

"Not exactly the same, though, is it?" she sighed. "But how are you, Kurt? Tell me everything! Is it super fly?"

"Super-fly?" Kurt laughed, wiping away a tear that fell. "Oh, girl. Well, there's no one here like _you_."

"Better not be," she insisted, and Kurt could just imagine the way her head would swerve to go along with the attitude in her voice.

"When he was here yesterday," Kurt said softly, "Finn mentioned coming for sort of a good-bye visit? Could you maybe come get me? My dad took my car home with him."

"Oh, baby boy," she cooed. "I have a test eighth period. That big math test, remember? But … I'll make sure someone comes to get you."

"Thanks. I can only really go off-campus from three until eight, so maybe you can stall glee for a little while until I get there?"

"Sure," Mercedes agreed. "You've got it, Kurt. I can't wait to see you!"

"Me, too, best friend," Kurt sighed. "Me too."

* * *

_I totally didn't realize I named Kurt's Artie-like roommate after Kevin McHale, the actor who plays Artie, until I looked at it a second time! It was so perfect, I decided to keep it._

_How did you like my interpretation of Blaine so far? He was the most difficult character to write, because I know absolutely nothing about him except he's supposed to be "really cool" and he's been through a lot. Let me know how I did in a review!_

_Also, I know where this ends, I'm just not quite sure how to get from here to there in two days! Ack! Wish me luck._


	8. Chapter 8

_Since I started posting, I haven't looked for/let myself see any new spoilers, since I'm worried about wrecking the flow of the story. And then, when I'm done, it will be time for the actual episode! Curses! Again, I hope you like my version and are enjoying the story!_

_Posted: 11/7/10  
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Chapter 8

Sam thought he was in for a world of pain when Puck caught his arm as he was leaving lunch, pulling him back into the lunch room. "What the…?"

"Chill, dude," Puck said, letting go of Sam's arm and putting his hands up. "I'm not gonna kick your ass."

"Oh," Sam said with a relieved sigh, still a little confused. "Okay … So, what's up?"

"So, I'm kinda pissed about you dating Quinn," Puck huffed, his hands lowering down to his hips. Sam gave him a skeptical look and Puck relented, "Okay, so I'm really pissed. Whatever. Point is, you don't have to watch your back. I'm not gonna do anything about it."

"Really?" Sam asked. "Because everyone says you're not the most … _reserved_ … kind of guy when it comes to kickin' ass."

Puck shrugged, and Sam thought maybe he looked a little sad, like someone had taken his puppy away. Clearing his throat, the blonde said, "If it makes you feel any better, I didn't mean for it to happen. Like, I didn't set out to ruin your life, or whatever."

After giving him a long look, Puck replied, "I get it, man. I do. Quinn's like …" He sighed again. "Anyway, Gary says I have to get over her, so I guess it's a good thing she's not single anymore. Less of a temptation."

"Okay…"

"Just," Puck got up in Sam's face, which was kind of scary, no lie, "treat her right, okay? 'Cause if you don't, I just might have to kick your ass."

Sam nodded without reservation. As awesome as his muscles were, Puck's were bigger and Sam had never been in a real fight before. The other guy nodded slowly and then backed off, walking away quickly like he'd actually hit Sam. Huh. Before Puck could get too far away, Sam called after him, "Who's Gary?" wondering if it was a student he hadn't met yet. Puck seemed to respect the guy, so Sam would rather not offend this Gary if he could help it. Puck must not have heard him, though, because he didn't answer.

* * *

"Finn?" Rachel called, catching him between classes.

"What is it?" Finn asked. "I've got, like, five more people to talk to about this pledge before the end of the day."

Oh, crap. Finn knew that look on Rachel's face. He was in trouble.

"As admirable as your intentions are, Finn," she said sweetly, but Finn knew not to trust that tone of voice too much, "don't you think you should make time for me, your girlfriend, over Quinn's crusade?"

"I thought…" he replied, really confused now. "I thought you liked this idea. Like, because then maybe people won't be mean to Kurt or your dads anymore. I was just trying to help."

Rachel sighed, and her angry expression faded for the most part, "I know. I … I just wanted to ask you if Sam said something about the group competition? Something about the song we girls might be doing?"

"No," Finn shook his head. "Why would he? Are you guys _hanging out_ now?"

Crap, the look on Rachel's face got worse, which meant he must have said something wrong again. Gathering up a giant head of steam, Rachel demanded, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I don't know!" Finn cried. "What is _what _supposed to mean?"

"That tone in your voice!"

"What tone?"

"I knew that game of Spin the Bottle was a bad idea, Finn. Just when I get over my insecurities and start to trust you …" she scoffed, and Finn realized he was in way over his head and had no idea how to get out.

While he was trying to figure out what Rachel wanted him to say, Mercedes interrupted, "Hey? Do either of you guys have a car? Kurt wants to be picked up so he can attend one last glee club meeting. I'd do it, but I've got a test I absolutely can't miss."

"Damn," Finn said, "I've got that same test. What about you, Rachel?"

"I'm in math with both of you, Finn! How could you forget? We've only been sitting next to each other all school year!" Was she going to hit him? The way Rachel's fists were balled up, Finn thought it was a pretty good possibility.

"Okayyyy…" Mercedes replied, backing away. "I'll leave you to that."

Finn tried to plea to his friend for some help, but she just washed her hands of both of them and walked away. Crap.

* * *

"Hi, Lydia," Tina called as she caught up to the Senior in the hallway. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to sign glee club's anti-bullying pledge. All us members of the Asian community have been signing it. Look, I already got Bo Lin and Melody Nguyen to sign it."

"I heard about this," the older girl said, taking the pledge sheet from Tina. "What happens if I don't sign?"

Tina shrugged, not quite sure how to talk to the girl. Sure they both attended the Asian support group meetings that Mike dragged her to, but she was so pretty and popular it was difficult. Fighting back the urge to fake a stutter again, Tina said, "Basically Quinn will declare war on you. Did you hear about how Mitch Jablonsky's girlfriend broke up with him? Quinn did that."

"That's where this, 'won't date or make out with' clause at the bottom comes into play?" Lydia asked.

"Yep," Tina replied, watching as the girl shrugged and signed.

"You know," Lydia said, handing back the paper and adjusting her Cheerios uniform, "you should make, like, wristbands or something. So I don't, like, accidentally make out with one of the black-listed guys. I can't afford to drop any lower on the pyramid. My delicate bones just won't take it."

"That's a great idea!" Tina agreed. "I'll get right on it."

As the Cheerio walked away, Mercedes found Tina, "Hey, you're in, like, the advanced math classes, right?"

"Why does everyone assume I'm good at math?" Tina cried, leading Mercedes towards their dreaded gym class, which started in about two minutes. "It's because I'm Asian, isn't it?"

"No, girl," Mercedes laughed. "It's because I remembered Kurt saying something about how you guys had a big exam a few weeks ago and you two were studying like crazy. You really have to give it a rest with the whole Asian bit. You're starting to sound paranoid."

"Sorry," Tina sighed, but she couldn't help but smile at Mercedes' amused expression. "And yes, I am in pre-calc this year. Why?"

As Mercedes explained her dilemma on the way to the locker room to get changed for gym class, Tina's face fell. "I don't have my license!" she explained.

"What? How did I not know that about you?" Mercedes asked. "You _are_ over sixteen, aren't you? I distinctly remember your birthday last year."

"No, it's not that," Tina replied. "It's just my dad doesn't want me to get my license yet. He said something about car insurance and drunk drivers and there was just no changing his mind. I'm stuck until I turn eighteen and don't need his signature anymore."

"Well, that sucks," Mercedes said, heading for her gym locker and turning the combination lock.

"Yeah," Tina sighed. "It really does. But at least Mike has a car!"

"And he's also taking that big test this afternoon," Mercedes replied. "Don't think I haven't already thought about this."

"Well, then, who's left?"

Mercedes shook her head and rolled her eyes. "You don't wanna know."

* * *

"How do you think this is working out, Noah? Coming to visit me every Monday and Wednesday? You won't be missing too much class?"

"Whatever," Puck shrugged. "I've never really done much homework, so they put me in all the easy classes. I don't even have to be there to pass."

Gary re-crossed his legs and looked over his glasses at Puck before asking, "And that doesn't bother you?"

"What? That I'm totally working the system?"

"What everyone at the school must think of you for being in the 'stupid' classes."

Anger welled up in Puck's chest, but he fought it off, knowing Gary would just get on his case about it forever if he blew up at the guy. "I don't really care," he lied. "People can think whatever they want."

"But, that's not exactly true, is it?"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Gary smirked (actually _smirked_, the bastard) and said, "If it doesn't matter what people think about you, why are you fixated on maintaining a 'badass' image?"

As much as he usually liked Gary, Puck was starting to get really pissed off at him today. "It's not an image, dude," he insisted. "I _am_ badass."

After a long moment of silence, the dude caught Puck's eyes and said, "You don't have to be a 'better' version of your father."

"What?" Puck cried. "That's bull-"

"Is it? You keep telling me about how you had to be the man of the house after he left. Why couldn't you let yourself be a young man, without all that responsibility?"

Puck hated it when Gary brought up his dad, but he knew his daddy issues were a big part of what had gone wrong with Quinn. "They needed me."

"And family is very important to you," Garry nodded, "despite your image."

"Yeah."

"Which means you have to come to terms with the fact that your mother _can_ take care of herself, your sister, and you. If you let her."

"Whatever," Puck growled.

"You also have to come to terms with the fact that your daughter has an amazing life with the woman who adopted her. A _better _life than you could give her."

"But-"

"And how are things going at school?" Gary said, changing the topic. He always did this whenever Puck wanted to yell at him, the slippery bastard. "Did the trouble with your friend get worked out?"

"Sort of," Puck replied, explaining how Quinn was laying down the law, but Kurt had transferred anyway. "I even apologized to him, you know, for being a jerk."

"I'm proud of you for that, Noah," Gary smiled.

Puck shrugged again. It wasn't the first time the guy had said he was proud of Puck, but he still wasn't quite sure he believed it. "It didn't change anything, though. I have to go get him after this for a big goodbye party and then he's out of there."

"Are you going to miss him?"

"He's not my friend or anything, but I suppose everyone else in glee is kind of upset."

"Oh, everyone else," Gary nodded, fiddling with his glasses. "Of course."

Puck felt like cursing at the guy, but he also felt like staying out of jail, where he wasn't the biggest badass around and his mouth got him in trouble more often than not. He kept said mouth shut and let Gary change the topic again.

"How is it going, making and repairing relationships with the other young men in your life?"

Puck rolled his eyes, resigned to answering this question, too.

* * *

Sitting in study hall, listening to music, Artie wondered if maybe Puck would want to help him with another song after Invitationals and the boys versus girls competition was over. He'd been thinking for awhile now that he wasn't over Tina, and if he wanted to prove how much he still loved her, he needed to sing about it. And if it was just him singing, Tina could just get up and leave.

But if Puck was singing with him? She would stay and listen, because it would be rude not to.

He'd have to pick out something that wasn't overly romantic, but still painted him in a good light. Maybe Bob Marley? He was cool, right? To get Puck to sing with him, Artie was sure he'd have to tell the guy it was related to the "make Artie popular" plan.

* * *

As Kurt got out of his last class of the day, his fingers were itching to check the last text he'd felt arrive at his phone with a cheery little buzz ten minutes ago. However, his new teacher was very strict and if he even _saw_ a cell phone, it would be confiscated for twenty-four hours. Kurt could not live without his phone, especially not when someone was supposed to be giving him a ride back to Lima for the next few hours.

He'd just gotten the phone out of his bag when Blaine caught up to Kurt in the hallway and asked, "Hey! What are you doing this afternoon? I figured since we didn't have glee, maybe my boyfriend and I could show you around town a little?"

"Oh," Kurt's heart fell. "Wow, that's so sweet of you. But … can I take a rain check? I'm sort of going to see my old friends right now. They want to give me the send-off my dad never gave them time for."

Blaine smiled, "Sure. That sounds like fun. You should totally go do that. This weekend though, you're meeting people _here_, okay?" Blaine's tone was light and playful, which made Kurt smile back and nod in agreement.

"Sure, of c-" Kurt's words were cut off when he saw someone out of the corner of his eye. It appeared to be a former McKinley student with his parents, heading into the Headmaster's office. "No…"

"What?" Blaine asked, turning around to look where Kurt's gaze was fixed. "What's wrong?"

"C-can anyone just get in here?" Kurt asked, moving forward so he could keep his eyes on Karofsky through the glass of the receptionist's office. "Like, if they've been expelled from somewhere else?"

"It happens," Blaine agreed. "Dalton is sort of a 'set 'em straight' prep school, so to speak. We've had a few problem guys come here because they got expelled at their other schools. They know this is usually their last chance, so they tend not to make trouble. In fact, I'm pretty sure I heard your roommate, Kevin, got expelled from his last school for hacking the student database and stealing everyone's passwords. That's what Peter told me."

Peter, as Kurt had been made aware, was Blaine's boyfriend of six months. He hadn't met the guy yet, since he was a senior like Blaine and wasn't in glee club, but Kurt had been hearing a lot about him. He'd actually been one of the reasons Kurt had for staying, making friends with Peter and Blaine and seeing for himself that it was possible to have a boyfriend while still in high school and be out and proud about it.

But now, Karofsky was here. He might end up actually attending Dalton, maybe living in the same dorm as Kurt. Always around and –

"What are you guys looking at?" a voice said so close to Kurt's ear that it made him jump and shriek a little.

"Puck!" Kurt cried, holding a hand to his chest as if to make his heartbeat slow down. "Are all my bullies following me here? What are you doing?"

"Picking you up," Puck said, which made Blaine snicker and punch Kurt's arm suggestively. No! Just no. Puck didn't seem to notice Blaine's joke, since he asked incredulously, "Damn, is that Karofsky?"

"Yeah," Kurt replied. "Do you know what he's doing here?"

"No," Puck said, frowning angrily. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something else, but shut it again soundlessly.

Ducking away from the window when the Headmaster came into the room to greet the Karofsky family, Kurt turned to face Puck. "We should get going. Mercedes did send you, right?"

"Yeah, apparently I was the only one willing to skip out to come get you. Be grateful I'm trying to be a nice guy, Hummel."

Waving goodbye to Blaine, Kurt hitched his schoolbag higher on his shoulder and headed for the front door, sarcastically saying, "Oh, yes. Very grateful, Puck."

* * *

"Mercedes," Will explained, "we _have _to start dress rehearsal before too long. Some of us have places to be."

"You got a hot date, Mr. Schue?" Sam asked, waggling his eyebrows and making the girls around him laugh.

"No," Will argued, wondering if maybe he should have declined to answer one way or another. These kids already knew too much about his love life after what had happened during the Rocky Horror dress rehearsal. They didn't need to know that he hadn't met anyone. They didn't need to know he was divorced and sadly obsessed with a woman who was taken and had thrown himself so whole-heartedly into teaching and glee club that he hadn't had time to even go out and try meeting anyone. "And, has anyone seen Puck?"

"He said he had a doctor's appointment this afternoon," Mercedes explained. "He said he'd be back."

"We all know the chances _that_'_ll _ happen," Finn muttered and disappointed, Will sent the boy a look. He knew, almost better than anyone else, how betrayed Finn had felt when he found out the truth about Puck and Quinn, but Will really thought it was time for the two boys to bury the hatchet. They didn't have to be friends again, but they did have to be civil to one another if this club was going to work.

"Please, Mr. Schue?" Artie asked, "Just a while longer? We could work on our numbers for Friday while we wait, right guys?"

There was a general feeling of assent through the room which made Will throw up his hands. "Fine, but you guys will have to call your parents and tell them you won't be home on time. We need to get this right before tomorrow. I'm counting on you guys. You know what? Why don't we push the competition back until next week?"

"We could do the numbers for tomorrows performance in our _sleep_, Mr. Schue," Rachel insisted. "Besides, it's better to stay challenged. We can't get complacent this year. Besides, we girls are already prepared for Friday's competition. Can you boys say the same?"

"Hell, yeah!" Artie cried, high-fiving Finn and Mike.

"Fine," Will laughed. "Far be it from me to go easy on you guys."

The students laughed and cheered and Will noticed as the group split up into boys and girls, Santana and Brittany were once again conjoined at the pinky. At least some things were working out, despite losing Kurt. Maybe it would all work out in the end.

* * *

About halfway through the silent car-ride back to Lima, Puck looked over and saw Kurt sleeping in the passenger seat of Mercedes' car. Technically Puck didn't have his license anymore after driving through the front of a building, but the black girl didn't have to know that. He didn't even know why he'd agreed to go get the fairy, but he was going to be out of school anyway. And, he figured he owed Mercedes for using his relationship with her to be popular again.

Or, at least that's what Gary had said. Damn, Puck really had to start thinking for himself again. As soon as his probation was over, so were the mandatory meetings with the damn shrink. Sure, Puck kind of liked the guy and he was cool in an old guy sort of way, but the process was stupid.

Puck _knew_ his mom couldn't take care of all three of them on her own. Wanting to step up and take care of some things for her didn't mean he wanted to be some 'better version' of his dad. That was just insane, right?

A few miles outside of town, Kurt made a weird noise and started thrashing around in his seat, pulling on the scarf around his neck, his eyes still closed tightly. What the hell?

* * *

Kurt was back in the boys' room at McKinley, trapped in a toilet stall with David Karofsky looming between him and freedom. Fear had his heart hammering about a million times a minute as those big hands wound themselves around his throat. Again he tried to fight back. He tried to hit and kick, but Karofsky was a hockey player and his nerves were probably all desensitized by cold and repetitive brain damage, since nothing Kurt did seemed to affect the guy.

He couldn't even scream.

Kurt's lungs burned and ached, desperate for air and the already dark bathroom stall went black around the edges as Kurt's knees gave out. Karofsky lowered both of them to ground, murmuring something about, "Damn abomination. Shouldn't make me feel this way, freak."

Before, when this had happened the first time, Kurt remembered thinking but being unable to say, _Oh, that's rich. _I'm_ the freak_. Kurt couldn't say it this time either. He was so damn terrified, he didn't even think it.

He had to get out of here. He had to escape he had to–

"Kurt! Wake up, man!"

Startled out of the dream, Kurt took as deep a breath as he could, like he'd been under water for way too long and was just reaching the surface. The surface was a car, with Puck in the driver's seat, one hand on Kurt's shoulder where he'd shook Kurt awake, watching him like he was insane. Hands gripping his scarf so tightly his knuckles were white and tears running down his face, Kurt realized he probably looked insane.

"He seemed so real," Kurt muttered, loosening his hold on the scarf and wiping away a few tears. "Thanks for waking me up."

"You were back there?" Puck asked, taking his hand away carefully, like he was still afraid Kurt would lose it somehow. When Kurt nodded, looking around to see that they were pulled over on the gravel shoulder of a highway not too far outside of town, Puck added, "Yeah. I've been there. Don't tell anyone, but I had a few all-out brawls in the slammer that have come back to haunt me a few times."

Confused, Kurt turned back to watch as Puck started up the car and pulled back onto the highway, keeping his eyes on the road. Why would he tell Kurt something like that? Wasn't it against his badass code to admit any sort of weakness? It didn't make any sense, but strangely it did make Kurt feel a little better about having the nightmare in the first place.

* * *

Burt was eating dinner at home with Carole when he got a call. "Hey, kid," he answered when he saw it was Kurt calling. "What's going on? How was your day at school?"

"I saw David Karofsky here today," Kurt replied, right to the point.

Furious all of a sudden, he asked, "The guy that messed you up?"

"Yeah," Kurt replied. "Apparently Dalton has a reputation for correcting problem students like him. Plus, Blaine said the hockey team wouldn't mind having him. I can't stay here if he transfers, dad. I don't care if it means I'm letting him push me around."

"I'll look into selling the garage tomorrow," Burt insisted, despite Kurt's indignant noise of protest and Carole's worried frown. "Now, don't give me that. We'll keep looking until we find a place where you can be safe."

"Did Finn tell you about all the changes at McKinley?" Kurt asked, and the tone in his voice reminded Burt once again of his son's mother. Why did they have to be so similar? "I can be safe there, dad. I miss my friends and my damn bathroom!"

"Will you at least stay until I can clear this whole Karofsky thing up? I'm sure if I yell loud enough at the Head-guy or whatever he'll realize he can't let that psycho enroll at your school."

"You're not supposed to yell," Kurt pointed out softly. "It's not good for your heart."

Burt knew Kurt had only agreed to switching schools so easily because he was concerned for his father's health, and his son's sensitivity made Burt choke up a little. He wasn't supposed to be the one looking out for Burt, but he had been anyway. "Look, kid. If Lima were a different place, I'd have you back home in a heartbeat. But it's not. Just go with me on this one, okay?"

His voice unforgiving, Kurt replied, "Fine. But I'm going to be in Lima tomorrow to perform with the glee club at the Invitational. You should come."

"Are you sure you can just leave school like that?" Burt asked. He thought he had assurances that Kurt would be supervised and safe.

"I'm seventeen, dad," Kurt sighed. "I get some freedoms. I'm not a little kid anymore."

"I know you aren't, son. I know you aren't." Even so, Burt felt like it was his duty to protect Kurt. At least until he graduated. That was his right as a parent, wasn't it?

* * *

After Kurt and Mercedes left to go back to the Dalton Academy, Puck caught Quinn on her way to her car. "That was low," he murmured in her ear, "even for you."

Quinn laughed like she couldn't believe it was Puck saying those things to her. "And _what_ exactly are you talking about?"

"Sending Karofsky to Kurt's school," he explained, frowning at her. "I mean, I knew you were the kind of girl who would do whatever it takes, but you have _no idea_ what that creep did to Kurt."

"And you do?" Quinn asked, cocking one eyebrow at him and pulling her arm out of his grasp. "I didn't know you gave a damn about Kurt."

"I don't," Puck insisted, hating the way Quinn nodded like she didn't believe him. "But the crap Karofsky put him through that day is the kind of thing that sticks with you. Kurt gets _nightmares_ about it, Quinn. You should have just left well enough alone."

Slowly but surely, Quinn's expression softened. "It was bad for you, wasn't it?"

"What?"

"Juvie," she clarified, raising and then pulling away a hand like she'd wanted to comfort him but wouldn't let herself. "This isn't about Kurt at all."

"Get out of my head, woman," Puck snarled, leaving her behind and trying not to think about how he'd gotten the crap kicked out of him his second week of prison. He'd never been the victim of a beat-down before and the three-on-one-kill-Puck-fest was still with him in his dreams at night. No one deserved that.

* * *

_Thus culminates my "Puck learns a lesson about bullying" plotline, though there is still a bit left of the story: Invitationals, the boys versus girls, and a party. Hopefully all to happen in tomorrow's final chapter. This fic has ended up longer and much more involved than originally planned! Again, wish me luck (in review form – hint, hint) at finishing it in a reasonable amount of time._


	9. Chapter 9

_If only all episodes had room for this much dialogue and this little music. I mean, I love the music to pieces, but sometimes it gets in the way of the story, instead of enhancing it like it should. For this reason, and because I have no idea how all the mash-ups and medleys in this episode will have their lyrics arranged, I've glossed over those parts. Sorry. You'll have to look up the previews online and use the power of your imagination! Or, watch the episode in a few hours, you know, whatever comes around first._

_Posted: 11/9/10  
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* * *

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Chapter 9

Finn rode in the car with his mom and Carole to the Invitational. He'd wanted to go pick up Kurt, but his mom said maybe it wouldn't be a good idea to get in the middle of a fight between Kurt and his dad. "Just let Mercedes go get him," she'd said softly as they went to go pick Burt up from his house. "Kurt will understand."

"I just keep feeling like it's my fault he's gone, mom."

"Oh," Carole sighed, "don't think that, sweetie. Just focus on being the best friend you can be for him, okay?"

"Right," Finn nodded.

Now, Burt was dominating the conversation, and Finn was stuck in the back seat. His knees were almost up to his ears, but Burt was the 'guest' and she didn't want Finn to drive, so here he was.

"…believe that pressing charges didn't even do much, Carole? The kid just got probation and he has to go to 'anger management' classes! That's it! For almost killing my son, that punk gets a slap on the wrist!"

"At least he's been expelled," Carole pointed out as she pulled up to the stoplight next to the Wendy's. Finn wondered if there was going to be any food backstage, like in the 'green room', which was what Rachel called the choir room on the night of a show. Celebrities always got food in their green rooms, didn't they? Like M&Ms? That would be awesome.

"Yeah, and Kurt told me yesterday that Mr. and Mrs. Karofsky are looking to enroll their son at Dalton!" Burt growled angrily. "You know Kurt can't stay there now."

"I know," Carole sighed sadly, which made Finn look up. What was so sad about Kurt coming back home? That sounded great to Finn. Like, if Kurt was gone forever, who would help him understand why Rachel was mad at him this week? He was the only guy that could speak _girl_ well enough to translate! Carole continued, "Let's enjoy the show and tomorrow we can have Friday dinner and go over all our options."

"I know what option I'm gearing up for," Burt said, and he had that old edge of scary Burt like that time he'd yelled at Finn in their basement.

"Honey," Carole said as the light turned green and she stepped on the gas, "_please_ consider all the options before you resort to moving away. You know I can't leave until Finn does."

"Wait," Finn spoke up, leaning forward so the old people could hear him better, "who's moving? Are we moving? I promise I won't say that word again."

"We'll talk about it tomorrow, sweetie," Carole insisted, giving Burt a look that Finn recognized pretty well – it meant that his mom was disappointed. Was she disappointed in Burt this time? But, why?

* * *

Burt hated fighting with Carole, he really did. For one thing, he wasn't well enough to argue his case loudly without stressing his heart, and for another, Burt hated seeing that look in her eye. More than anyone else in a long time (besides his son), he wanted to make sure this woman looked happy all the time. Sure, it was a miracle that she hadn't dumped him when he had to protect Kurt from Finn and keep them both from moving in, but he knew the whole thing was on the line now.

If Burt had to leave Lima, the place where he and Kurt's mother had lived together and started raising Kurt, he knew it would cost him Carole for good. He didn't want that to happen, but in the hierarchy of people Burt had to protect, Kurt was at the top, damn it. There was just no choice. Did he know how they were going to make it in a bigger city where Kurt would be more welcome? No. Did he care? Not at all.

The McKinley High lobby was lit brightly, beckoning in everyone who might want to see the glee club's first public performance of the year. Burt hoped this was the dramatic send-off Kurt was craving, because it was the last time Burt would knowingly let him be here. Maybe they would move to Chicago, where Burt's sister Mildred and her husband lived. They'd let the two Hummels stay for a week or two while they found a place to live and a job for Burt. Sacrifices would have to be made, of course, including the majority of Kurt's wardrobe budget, but things would be better for Kurt there. They had to be, right?

Finn broke away from them as soon as the trio got through the front door, saying something about warming up. Burt wondered if he should maybe follow and go looking for Kurt backstage, but Carole grabbed his arm and pulled him toward a table staffed by three Cheerios.

"Hey, Becky," Burt greeted the girl in the center of the table. "What's going on here?"

"Hi, Mr. Hummel," the girl replied in her slow, careful speech. "We're selling wristbands as a fundraiser."

"Oh, what kind of wristbands?" Carole asked sweetly, taking the purple piece of plastic when another girl handed it to her.

"You have to sign the pledge," Becky explained, "before you get one." She held up her arm happily, showing off the bracelet. "All the cool kids are wearing them."

"This time Monday," the girl to Becky's right said with a smirk, "everyone in the school's going to have one of these bad boys, or risk the consequences."

Shrugging off that cryptic remark, Burt asked, "What are you raising money for?"

"Our anti-bullying student organization," the second cheerleader explained. "We don't have a name yet, but our goal is to do what the administration won't do to end bullying at school and on the Internet. We want to throw a celebratory party for everyone who's signed on Saturday, so we need some funds."

"What a lovely cause!" Carole cried, digging around in her purse. "We'll take two."

"One per signature," Becky insisted, pushing a piece of paper and a pen at Burt, who after a glare from his girlfriend, sighed and signed the damn piece of paper.

As they walked away from the table and towards their seats, Carole leaned toward him and whispered, "All that fuss was over what happened to Kurt, you know." She pressed one of the stretchy plastic bracelets into his hand and directed him toward a pair of seats in the parents' section, front and center.

Maybe he could give this school another chance, if Kurt really wanted to come back.

* * *

"Hey, Kurt!" Blaine called, catching up to him in the hallway. "Where's your uniform?"

Kurt sighed and turned to face his friend. "Blaine. As much as I really like it here, and I do, I'm not ready to leave Lima yet."

"Homesick? We all go through that Kurt," the boy insisted, setting a hand on Kurt's upper arm.

"It's not just that," Kurt explained, turning and looking to make sure Blaine was walking with him before he continued. "My dad insists he doesn't need me, but I have to be sure for myself that he's healthy before I'll stop worrying about him. And I miss my friends, and my glee club. And my bathroom. Besides, Karofsky needs this place more than I do."

Blaine nodded as they walked, and after a moment, he asked quietly, "Are you sure it's not because you're afraid to stand up to him?"

"I _have_ stood up to him," Kurt sighed. "Every damn day I told that guy I was proud of who I was and nothing he was going to do would change that. And who I am … is a Lima loser."

"You're not a _loser_, Kurt," Blaine cried, cutting in front of Kurt to stop him. "You're going places and Dalton could help you get there. And … I was really looking forward to having you around."

"I know," Kurt said unhappily. "And I hope we can still be friends after this, but Lima needs me, and I need it, at least for a little while longer. It'll be great. You'll see."

As Kurt brushed past Blaine, almost to his dorm room so he could finish packing the rest of his things, the other boy caught up and said, "You'll be lonely there."

"Maybe," Kurt shrugged, wondering if Puck had been right about Quinn's new policies making McKinley a better place for other guys to come out. "And maybe not. As much as I would love to have someone like you have Peter, I'm going it alone. For now."

"You're braver than I ever was," Blaine said, forcing a small smile. "Let me know how it goes?"

"You got it," Kurt agreed, a smile springing to his lips as well. "See ya, Blaine."

"Later, Kurt."

* * *

"Ready to show those girls who's boss?" Puck asked the rest of the boys, shrugging his blue tuxedo coat on.

"You know it!" Artie boasted, holding up his fist, which Puck easily bumped. The kid looked pretty fierce in his outfit, actually rocking the bow-tie look for once. It was too bad he had to stay sitting in the chair, because Puck was sure Artie would look even more badass if he could stand up. Oh, well. Next on the agenda: perform that Bob Marley medley at Quinn's special "No hate" rally or dance or whatever she was putting on tomorrow. Not only would Tina start lusting after Artie again, but hopefully a bunch of the other girls, too. Hey, if Puck wasn't making the rounds, someone had to take his place.

Looking around at all the guys, Puck noticed that Finn's tie was a little crooked, but he wasn't going to volunteer to fix it. That loser had made it perfectly clear that he could get along fine without his best friend, and Puck was surprisingly okay with that, for now. Like, he wasn't going to cry about it or anything, despite how

Gary kept insisting the friendship meant more to Puck than he was admitting.

A high voice from the doorway interrupted Puck's thoughts, saying, "They won't know what hit them. Looking sharp, boys."

"Kurt!" Finn cried, bouncing forward to clap the guy on the back. "You made it!"

"I did," he nodded, reaching up to fix Finn's tie, which the taller boy awkwardly allowed. Puck wondered if maybe they were going to be best friends now that their parents were practically married. And with Quinn laying down the law, Puck couldn't even make fun of Finn for being friends with the gay kid. Not that he would, really. It wasn't worth getting slushied over, that's for sure.

"You back for good, dude?" Sam asked, that big mouth grinning widely.

"Barring future incidents," Kurt nodded, patting Finn's chest as he finished the tie, "yes. Though, if I get so much as a black eye, my dad threatened to move us to Chicago."

"Well, then," Puck insisted, joining the group in the center of the room. "We'll have to make sure nothing happens."

Before anyone else could agree, Mr. Schue came in, saying, "You guys ready to go? Kurt! You made it!"

"We're ready, Mr. Schue," Mike nodded and the teacher showed the girls into the room, all clad in their leather jackets and looking damn badass if Puck had anything to say about it. Why, oh why, had Gary banned him from dating? This was going to kill him, he was sure of it.

The boys did their number first, and Puck sang what he'd been told to sing. He danced where Mike told him to dance, and he snapped his fingers like he was supposed to snap them. It rocked. The thrill of performing, even if it was just for the girls and Mr. Schue, got his blood pumping and his head rushing almost as much as football did. And the jocks wondered why he was still in glee…

* * *

Mr. Schuester called a five minute break between Finn's group and the girls' group so some of the speakers could be rearranged or something. Not caring what led to the delay, Finn found Rachel and said, "I'm sorry you're mad at me, babe. Please, tell me how to make this better."

"Can you stop being jealous about any boy I might talk to?" she replied, much calmer and more rational than she had been in days. "Because that's the only way I see this relationship working out. We have to trust each other."

"I _do_ trust you," Finn insisted, wondering how she could even thing otherwise. Well, he had been acting sort of jealous lately, colder toward Artie and Sam for no reason either of them know. And Puck kept sending all these longing glanced at all the girls, which Finn hated for so many reasons. Didn't someone say you had to know your history or you were doomed to repeat it? No way was Finn going to forget Puck's history as much as he wanted to be friends with the guy again. Taking a long look at Rachel and her skeptical expression, Finn explained, "I just love you so much, I can't imagine how any guy wouldn't feel the same."

He must have said something right, because Rachel's expression softened into a shy smile as she breathed, "Really?" and jumped into Finn's arms. He loved the way she was so little and portable. "Finn, I love you, too!"

"Great," Kurt broke in, practically separating the two. "Now that we know everybody loves everybody else, the show must go on! Do your worst, Berry."

"I plan to," Rachel said with a shrug and a little wink in Kurt's direction which he responded to with a smile. At least Finn didn't have to worry about his girlfriend around Kurt. Wait, he didn't have to worry, right? Right. Kurt was into dudes. And there was nothing wrong with that.

Rachel got up in front of the class with her team and made some sort of introductory speech that Finn didn't listen to because he was too busy watching the way her lips moved and trying not to think too hard about kissing her. Their song was pretty epic, Finn had to admit, and maybe they were better than his team, but he wasn't a bad boyfriend for hoping he would win anyway, was he? Finn hoped not.

* * *

Watching his students perform, Will felt so proud of them. Kurt was back and happier than the teacher had seen him in a long time. Quinn started what Will was quickly starting to realize was one of the most important movements ever to hit McKinley high. Finn and Rachel were Finn and Rachel. Puck's anger cooled down more and more as he spent time with Artie, trying to make the boy cool. And everyone else seemed glad things were getting back to normal.

As the kids were packing up their things after Will declared the girls to have won the competition, granting them one song selection for sectionals, Sue motioned at him angrily from the doorway. Sighing in resignation, Will went to her and asked, "What's up, Sue?"

"William," she said, giving him that fake, predatory smile, "did you know about this rally Figgins is allowing for Saturday evening. In _my_ gymnasium?"

"I did," he replied. "The party was Quinn's idea. Sort of a welcome back for Kurt and a thank you for everyone who signed her anti-harassment pledge. Why, what's the matter?"

"That's my gymnasium, Will!" she insisted. "Every time there's a dance or a game or for who-knows-what liberal wingnut rally, the floor needs to be waxed before my Cheerios can practice on it. Who's going to pay the cost of waxing the entire gym? Huh, Will? Is it gonna be you? Because last I heard, you weren't doing so well on the financial horizon. Now me, I'm swimming in dough because of my sponsorship with Nike and all those royalties I'm collecting from the re-release of 'Physical'. How _exactly_ do you manage to buy hair gel, Will?"

Rolling his eyes and hoping he could get a word in edge-wise, Will said, "I don't know, Sue. I'm just a chaperone. Quinn had been working directly with Figgins and the PTA on this one. You might want to ask them."

Sue nodded angrily and then looked behind Will at the students horsing around in there. "Tell Ladyface I'm glad he's back, even if I _have_ been banned from using vocals during this year's cheerleading competitions."

"I'll do that," Will nodded with a smile. She really was a kinder, gentler Sue Sylvester this year wasn't she?

"Oh, and the seventies want their pants back. What do you think this school is? Some sort of swinging discotheque?"

Maybe not.

* * *

Quinn was hanging the final decorations when Coach Sylvester found her. "Q? I know you're trying to do something worthwhile here to make up for your personal failings as a teenage mother, but did you have to make this place look like Barney vomited all over it?"

Looking around, Quinn had to admit she'd used a lot of purple in the decorations, but she liked it that way. It seemed _happy, _if a little dark. Then she realized she was standing four feet above Miss Sylvester on the janitor's old, rickety ladder, which didn't strike her as a safe place to be.

Smiling as she climbed down, Quinn replied, "I'm glad you like it. Now, what can I do for you?"

"You have to promise me that my Cheerios won't be wasting good time they could be practicing routines on this new _club _of yours. While I appreciated your leadership and command of the squad, I'm not above kicking you off the team if we place anything less than first at our upcoming competition."

Quinn knew something like this was coming so she fought the urge to roll her eyes and nodded compliantly. "Yes, Miss Sylvester."

"And don't give me that good-girl look, Q," the Coach wagged her finger as she walked away. "We both know you're not her anymore."

Yes, they did, didn't they?

* * *

Puck sat outside the school for a long time on Saturday night, playing with the purple band on his wrist and watching everyone go in. It wasn't that he was protesting the event or anything, but his mom had dropped him off early and the Puckster always arrives fashionably late. Besides, the only people really giving him the time of day lately were Sam and Artie – Sam was probably waiting hand and foot on Quinn, the wuss, and Puck hadn't seen Artie show up yet.

Puck had already taken care of the sound check and everything after football practice that afternoon. Now all he had to do was sit and wait. All the Cheerios, safely under Quinn's thumb, showed up early as well, Santana throwing him a dirty look as she walked by with Brittany in tow. Mike and Tina waved to him, but didn't approach, and Rachel blew past without stopping, her only acknowledgment of him a loud, "Hello, Noah!" as she passed.

And of course, Finn and Kurt showed up together – at what was pretty much a school dance! – together and Puck couldn't say anything about it. The two guys had almost reached Puck when he noticed a group of dark figures closing in behind them.

"Watch out!" Puck cried, heart racing with mostly remembered fear as he jumped up and ploughed in between Kurt and Finn. There were three of them, all wearing dark clothes and ski masks, and the guy up front took a swing at Puck, but wasn't quick enough for Puck's dodge.

"You should have stayed away, homo!" one of the guys cried as Finn joined Puck in fighting them off. Puck had been trying to limit himself to shoving, because he knew once he landed a punch he would only want to go in for another and then another, but at the resigned look in Kurt's eyes, Puck kind of lost it.

Punching the guy who spoke, Puck cried, "Leave my damn friends alone, dill hole. Get out of here and grow up! The world is never what you think it should be!"

One final kick and Finn shoving the tallest one and the guys retreated, like the cowards they were.

"Whoa, dude," Finn coughed, rubbing his ribs where he must have been hit at least once. "That was intense!"

"Whatever," Puck shrugged, still watching the ninja-wannabes retreat through the parking lot to make sure they didn't double back or start smashing cars or something. "Nothing compared to fight club."

"And jail?" Finn asked, looking over at him carefully.

"Yeah."

Puck shared a long look with Finn and the way the guy smiled slowly made him think maybe they were on the way to being okay again. Either that or Hudson had a crush on him, the idiot. Still carefully, because he didn't want to spook him, Puck held out his fist, relieved when Finn's smile widened into a grin and he bumped his fist against Puck's readily. Gary was gonna be one happy dude when Puck told him about this on Monday.

"What was all that," Kurt spoke up behind him and Puck turned, realizing he'd forgotten the other guy was there, "about the world not being the way you want it? Philosophical stuff for such a philistine."

Puck was pretty sure that was an insult, but he wasn't sure so he just shrugged, "It's true. Thought a guy like you would have noticed that by now."

"Oh believe me," Kurt nodded, "I have. It doesn't mean we can't try to make the world better, does it?"

"I don't think so," Finn insisted, patting Kurt on the shoulder until he noticed Rachel waving to him from the front doors of the school and abandoned Puck with the gay dude.

Kurt looked over at him and seemed surprised Puck was actually making eye contact. Clearing his throat, Kurt said, "Thanks for schooling those guys. I knew coming back wasn't going to be flawless, because (hello?) it's Lima, but I didn't expect something that violent."

"They're scared," Puck replied before he even knew he was going to say something.

"Of me," Kurt nodded, taking a few steps toward the school before turning around. "They're not the only ones. Look, Puck, I'm grateful you stood up for me and Finn, but what you said about me being your friend? I'm not. We can be civil, we can be friendly even, since we're both in glee. But I'm not your friend."

"Because of all the dumpster dives?"

Kurt shrugged, "Somewhat. Mostly because you couldn't even give me a friendly peck during Spin the Bottle. I don't have the energy to live in Lima and try to be friends with someone as homophobic as you at the same time. No matter how badass you might proclaim to be."

Damn! The kid was questioning his badassness, wasn't he? And Puck was letting him get away into the school rally unchallenged. What the hell, man?

"He'll come around," Artie said from behind him, so Puck turned to face the guy. "If you play nice."

"Whatever."

"Look, Puck," Artie sighed, rolling closer and looking up at him. It kind of made Puck want to squat down so he wouldn't feel so self-conscious, but badasses aren't self-conscious as a rule. "I agreed to let you help me because I want Tina back, right?"

Puck nodded.

"But I also agreed because you looked like you needed a friend," the boy explained. "I know what that's like. Before my accident, I was kind of a ladies' man. Of course I was eight, so it didn't really mean much, but I know what it's like to feel like you've lost all your friends. I decided to work on my music and my grades, and those helped me make new friends."

"You think I want to 'work on' myself so I can be friends with _Kurt_?"

"Beggars can't be choosers," Artie insisted, leading the way into the school. "C'mon let's go rock McKinley's socks off."

Within a few minutes, he and Artie were up on stage, singing and playing guitar. This song was about love fixing everything and making you a better person, and Puck sure knew that kicking ass didn't work as well as he'd hoped when he first became a badass. Love, huh? He might be able to work with that.

* * *

Outside the gym, the corridor was empty as Kurt walked to the bathroom across the hall and used the facilities. However, when he came back out of the bathroom, someone was waiting for him. Someone taller, larger, shadowy. "Karofsky?" Kurt asked, hating the way his voice trembled. He was a Hummel, damn it. He was tougher than that!

"No, dude," a familiar voice replied as Puck stepped into the light. "Chill."

"Oh, hello, Puck," Kurt nodded, moving on quickly and heading back for the big gym doors. But then, something caught his wrist and gently pulled him in. "What are you doing?" Kurt asked Puck, struggling a little to break free before he started hyperventilating or something.

"Back there," Puck nodded his head outside the school, "you totally questioned my badassness."

"So?"

"So," Puck breathed, leaning forward slowly and carefully, his eyes on Kurt's face the whole time. "No one questions my badassness." Wait. Was Puck about to kiss him? Kurt couldn't believe it and wasn't helped by the intense atmosphere the boy managed to put out. It made Kurt shiver.

Before Puck could land the kiss, Kurt stepped back and said, "You don't have to do this – make up for that stupid game or Spin the Bottle or whatever. You're plenty badass without following through or whatever you're trying to do here. Please don't."

Puck's face morphed into one of confusion for just a brief moment before its standard, calm demeanor was back. "You're right," he nodded. "Can't kiss you, dude." Puck pulled a lavender piece of paper out of his back pocket and a pen from somewhere else. "You haven't signed yet."

Rolling his eyes, Kurt snapped the paper and the pen from the other boy, stepping up next to the wall and signing the last line of the paper, saying, "I don't know how I'll make it through the day without mocking Rachel Berry's fashion sense, but I knew coming back would have its consequences." Kurt crossed the 't' on his first name and handed the sheet over, edging around Puck because he didn't quite know what to expect.

"Hummel?"

"What?" Kurt replied, really not in the mood to be messed with. "I have a party to get back to."

Puck stepped forward and grabbed Kurt by the hand, slipping a plastic bracelet over Kurt's wrist. Then, Puck caught the back of Kurt's head, which was incredibly frightening until Puck's lips met his gently. The kiss lasted far too long and not long enough and felt nothing like what Karofsky tried to force on him. Kurt felt dumbstruck and light headed as Puck pulled back and whispered, "Coming back to McKinley might have its perks, too," and walked away.

What the hell was _that_ supposed to mean?

* * *

**The End!**

* * *

_Okay, so I'm not sure if I tied up all the loose ends or if this even makes any sense, but I'm posting it anyway, damn it!_

_Can I just say as much as I love it and as familiar as I am with writing Puck and Kurt, writing the other characters has been a whole lot of fun – particularly Finn and Quinn. Finn is just so open in the way he thinks and speaks and Quinn is devious, but still very sympathetic, which is an insane combination to write._

_Don't forget to review!_


	10. Epilogue Part 1

Never Been Kissed - The Post-Mortem

_1. The kiss - I totally effing called it! And I got Kurt's reaction spot-on (for the most part). But how good was Max Adler, the guy who plays Karofsky? That was some major, major acting right there, especially in his voice. And, was I the only one worried about what had happened to Kurt's iPhone when he went running after Karofsky? I was all, "When is Kurt gonna get his phone back?" And it was distracting. I attribute my reaction to the fact that I had my iPhone slapped out of my hand and stolen last year. It sucked._

_2. Blaine is so awesome! I also love how little he is compared to Kurt, though they hid it a bit with camera work. That slow-motion shot of the two of them running through the hall was a definite squee moment if I ever saw one._

_3. The kiss, part deux: Beiste - I'm sorry, the scene was sweet and Schue was so intensely likable, but it still had a little ew-factor, which may have been the point._

_4. The Artie/Puck dynamic wasn't much different than I expected, and I still maintain Puck needs a therapist, badly - that whole no one cares about me line I called right from the begining. At least Artie's there for him._

_5. We didn't see: the infamous Spin the Bottle game; any real Finchel moments; Quinn using her powers for good; any continuity in the Britana story-line; and last, but not least - Puckurt. If Puckurt ever becomes a canon pairing, I will near-on die of happiness._

_6. Anyone else really, really want a pair of Kurt's yellow boots from near the end, or was that just me?_

_And, because chapters that are just author notes are a no-no, here's a little epilogue._

_Posted: 11/11/10  
_

* * *

"How was your weekend, Noah?" Gary asked, shifting back in his chair with his legs crossed comfortably. "Anything I should know about?"

"I don't know," Puck snapped, crossing his arms over his chest and glowering. Puck's mom hated when he glowered, calling it his worst expression. "Maybe."

"Don't be coy, Mr. Puckerman," the therapist said with a little chuckle. "What happened? It certainly doesn't seem like you're as pleased with yourself as usual."

"I maybe, kinda, sorta," Puck sighed, letting his hands drop down into his lap, "found out something about the real Puck. Like, when I'm not trying to be my old man or whatever the crap you said last time."

"And what did you find out?"

"I always figured I was more of a fighter, right?" Puck asked, waiting for Gary to nod before he continued. "Like, I beat kids up for their lunch money and joined a fight club and terrorized the dweebs. You know, all that."

"Right..."

"So," Puck sighed. Was he really going to say this out loud? He could just play off what happened on Saturday as his way of making sure glee club stayed together. But no, he had to prove his stupid-ass point. All because Artie said Puck couldn't be choosy about his friends this year. "I found out I'm more of a lover than a fighter. And this whole no chicks thing doesn't really jive with that. It's messing with my brain."

Gary nodded at Puck and adjusted his glasses, turning away as he asked, "How so?"

"It's like, I couldn't help it. And now, I think, I might want to do it again."

"What happened?" Gary asked, not like he was desperate to know, but he was listening anyway. "Did you get in a fight? Anything, Noah, and your probation officer could send you back."

"Nah," Puck answered. "Well, yeah, but that was self-defense and wasn't what I was talking about. Crap. I forgot about those ninja guys."

Exasperated now, Gary huffed, "So what were you talking about? I can't help you if you don't-"

"I kissed someone," Puck blurted out. God, he really didn't want to do this, but he figured maybe Gary would say it was okay for him to be confused. "But technically, you said no _girls_, so yeah. I didn't really break the rules and-"

"What was this someone's name?"

Puck rolled his eyes at Gary's supposed indifference. "Kurt."

"The boy you refused to kiss during last week's party?" Was it weird that Gary didn't look at all surprised?

"Weird, right?" Puck asked, hoping the guy would agree. "I guess he was giving off that vibe I used to get from those lonely housewives that needed romancing. Like I said, I couldn't help it."

"And you'd like to kiss him again?"

"Ugh!" Puck sighed, throwing back his head. He'd been thinking this over and over all of Sunday and didn't really want to do it anymore. But he'd seen Kurt during glee club that morning and the boy looked at him with something of a mixture of terror and hope for just a second before ignoring him completely. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, I doubt he even likes me, but it was ... really kind of awesome. You don't pass up on a second chance at awesome, right?"

"Have you felt angry at all since it happened?"

"A little, yeah," Puck shrugged. "But that was because my little sister tried to take the last Eggo, and I was hungry."

"So, you've been less angry since this kiss occurred?" Gary asked and Puck nodded. "Why do you think that is?"

"I dunno," Puck shrugged. "Aren't you supposed to tell me?"

Gary chuckled a little before watching Puck for a few moments, his head tilted just a little. "Noah, I want you to tell me what 'integrity' means to you."

What the hell? Puck was meeting with Gary, not his English teacher. But the guy was waiting for an answer and he'd proved several times over that he would just keep waiting until Puck gave one. "It's like, when you don't lie and stuff."

"It means being true to yourself and those around you, consistently," Gary told Puck. "How do you think pursuing a relationship with this boy, Kurt, would impact your personal integrity?"

"Who said anything about a relationship?" Puck asked, getting that uncomfortable feeling back in his stomach. "I was just thinking a little light making out."

Gary sighed and gave Puck a disappointed look, which made the feeling in Puck's gut worse. "Noah," he said softly, "I know you haven't had very many examples of functional relationships to model yourself after, but try to put yourself in Kurt's shoes."

"I don't wear heels, dude," Puck replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "And this is stupid."

"Just think about it, Noah," Gary replied gently. "This boy was harassed at school by you and your friends, he was sexually assaulted by one boy, and he has no romantic prospects. How would you feel if there were no girls around you at all?"

"Like in the joint?" Puck smirked.

"Exactly, and then one of the boys in jail with you revealed himself to be a girl."

"I wouldn't want any chick who could pass for a dude..."

"No, Noah," Gary explained. "For argument's sake, she's an attractive young lady. What if she 'made out' with you once or twice and then went back to her male disguise and started ignoring you again? How would you feel?"

After thinking about it for a moment, Puck met Gary's eyes and said, "Bummed, I guess. Especially if I wasn't getting out for a long, long time."

"Right. So you need to think about whether you're attracted to Kurt as he is – a boy – or if you're attracted to his vulnerability, which will fade."

"What? Why?"

"Because starting a relationship with Kurt only to change your mind shortly thereafter would be cruel," Gary insisted. "You'd be taking away his 'girl', his one chance at a romantic partner because you were too selfish to think of his feelings beforehand."

"Dude," Puck sat, thinking about everything Gary had said. "Wait, I was the _girl _in that prison scenario?"

Gary sighed and gave Puck that, shape-up-quick look. "You don't have to say it with such distain. You know, your misogynistic attitude disturbs me, given that the family members that make up your support system– your mother, your grandmother, and even your sister – are all female. If you can't respect them, how will you lean on them so you can maintain your good behavior?"

"It's not my fault the old man skipped town and left my mom in charge," Puck argued, unsure what misogynistic meant.

"But you are in control of your own behavior, Noah. Just because your father didn't stick around doesn't mean he disliked all women besides of your mother. You don't have to emulate a man you barely knew. I know," Gary spoke louder when Puck opened his mouth to argue that Gary knew nothing about his dad, "that a 'badass' is supposed to hide any feelings that might make him weak, including his romantic feelings, but you called yourself more of a lover than a fighter, Noah. So, I have to ask, have you ever _been _in love?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "Quinn."

"Did things with Quinn work out well?" He paused until Puck shook his head. "No, they didn't. Why was that?"

"Because I was a jackass to her," Puck sighed, hating the truth almost as much as he hated Gary right now. "I couldn't be what she needed."

"People need someone who can put their partner's feelings _above _their own on a regular basis. I just don't know if you're there yet, Noah."

Damn. Puck hated that disappointed tone in Gary's voice, like Puck was some loser screw-up who wasn't good enough for Quinn, or Kurt. And just like Puck couldn't get the feel of Quinn's skin out of his head, he couldn't forget the taste of Kurt's lips on his. Sitting here in front of Gary, Puck _didn't _feel good enough for Kurt, which was actually kind of funny. He wasn't good enough for that fruit?

Maybe not. Puck liked to say he was a god among men or a sex shark or badass number one. Juvie had shown him he wasn't as awesome as he always claimed to be, since he couldn't even defend his freaking waffles.

"So no dating guys, either?" Puck surmised, not wanting to think about how disappointed he felt. Before therapy, he could just feel what he felt and that was that. But now? Now Gary had Puck questioning all his feelings and all his actions and he hated it even more than he hated the fact that Gary would probably report him to the pro-bee officer if he found out that Puck made another move on Kurt.

"I can't even try?"

Gary met Puck's eyes for a long moment, his face completely unreadable. Then, he took a sharp breath like he'd made a decision, saying, "Think about your reasons for wanting to date this boy and how you might impact his life. If on Wednesday you still feel the same, then you can try."

"Sweet," Puck smiled, still a little unsettled by the fact that he was looking forward to being able to go out with a guy. Damn, what if they got to making out and Kurt saw him without his shirt on? His left nipple was still kind of messed up from when those gangbangers ripped out the piercing. Oh, well. Maybe he could pass it off as a badass battle scar.

Was it weird he was looking forward to making sure he had the chance to explain his scars to Kurt?

* * *

_I wanted to post, but it still feels like there's more of the epilogue to go, i.e. Kurt's side. Probably another 3-5K words coming at you sometime next week. For now, I have my brother's wedding to attend/help with._

_Review and let me know what you want to see in the rest of the epilogue!_


	11. Epilogue Part 2

Never Been Kissed

Epilogue Part 2

11/19/10

For the most part, Kurt's life went back to normal at McKinley. The only things missing were the harsh words and the sudden bouts of violence against him. On Tuesday Quinn called for a mass-slushie against Azimio, who had slipped and called Jacob a "damn, retarded Nazi" (Kurt was pretty sure the football player had no idea what World War II was about). As satisfying as it might have been, Kurt declined to participate in the slushying. Oh, he watched it go down with mirth and abandon, but he just couldn't bring himself to actually throw the drink. He would stand up for himself with words, thank you very much.

To Kurt's surprise, Puck appeared to be in charge (along with Quinn) of organizing the combatants. Yet, he didn't have a slushie of his own to throw. Kurt would have expected Puck to take what was probably the last sadistic act he could get away with at this school and revel in it. Instead he passed out slushies and rounded up students to throw them with this unfamiliar grimace of _duty _on his face.

Just after Azimio slipped and fell in the puddle of slush as everyone walked away, Puck approached Kurt, who was watching from the balcony. With a wry smirk, he asked, "Good?"

Kurt nodded, pulling on his scarf a little in nervousness. He didn't know what to expect from Puck and it was making him anxious. The kind of guy he was, Puck probably got off on making Kurt nervous, only now he had to use kind words and actions, instead of taunts, jokes, and dumpster tosses. It was a gentler sort of bullying that started with that kiss on Saturday and Kurt wondered where he should draw the line after which he would report Puck's behavior to Quinn. There was just no way the new Puck was anything other than a ruse, right?

As Puck acknowledged Kurt's nod and then walked away, Kurt again felt like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop, for the punchline, for the point of this whole joke. Why couldn't Puck just get it over with?

* * *

David Karofsky hated his new school. His mom and dad had made it very clear that he was to be on excellent behavior, since they were paying an arm and a leg for him to attend Dalton, even if he did get a partial tuition waver for hockey. They'd also made it clear that he was to behave properly around the other boys, which Dave was sure meant, "Don't even think about indulging in whatever deviancy made you kiss that fag at your old school." He doubted being at an all boys' school was the best place for him to avoid it, but at least Kurt freaking Hummel wasn't there to tempt him.

The teachers at Dalton were strict, too. They actually made him do all his work so he could stay on the hockey team. At McKinley, the faculty members were under strict orders to pass jocks no matter what, especially if they were first string. Dave's brain hurt all the time these days and his body hurt from hockey and he couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching him.

Finally, during one study hall in the library, Dave got some answers. That kid Hummel had been hanging out with approached him and said, "Hi. I'm Kurt's friend Blaine. He told me about what happened between you two."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Dave growled out through clenched teeth. _Must not hit the homo. Must not hit the homo_.

"I think you do," Blaine replied with a wry smile as he sat down across from Dave. "It's fine to be confused and everything. It's normal. I just thought I'd come and say, if you ever want to talk about it, I'm here. And you're here, where it's safe to be whoever really you are."

"Save the self-help crap, ho-" David cut himself off before finishing the slur. _Must not get kicked out. Must not get kicked out. _"Just leave me alone."

"Okay," Blaine said, standing up with a disappointed look on his face. Great. The stupid-ass (not at all cute) fairy had a crush on him. Well, too bad. David Karofsky was straight. He had to be. "Let me know if you change your mind. Or, maybe talk to my boyfriend Peter Maybridge. He's on the hockey team with you, if that makes you any more comfortable."

"Maybridge the Monster?" David asked in disbelief. "He's already a legend of high school hockey. He has the best scoring record I've ever seen! How could he be...?"

"Gay?" Blaine chuckled with a shrug. "We come in all shapes and sizes, Karofsky. Are you sure you're not from nineteen fifty-three? Man, I thought everyone knew stereotypes were just that. Stereotypes!"

Karofsky frowned and dropped his eyes back to his work until Blaine sighed and moved away. David had never really thought it was possible, to be a jock and date the people he really wanted to date. But if the freaking Monster of Ohio could do it, maybe he could, too...

* * *

After glee club on Thursday the other shoe finally dropped. Kurt was packing up a few things and putting his designer jacket back on (it was too hot to dance in) when Puck managed to corner him relatively alone. "Hey, Kurt."

"Puckerman?" Kurt replied, lifting an eyebrow in question. He really hoped it wasn't going to be another kiss-by-ambush. He'd had enough of those for about four lifetimes.

"So, I'm gonna be at the 'stix tomorrow night, you know, for a thing," Puck half-declared, half-mumbled. "If you wanted to stop by and hang out, it wouldn't be too terrible."

After taking a moment to replay the words in his head and coming out still confused, Kurt asked, "Is that your ham-handed way of asking me out? 'Cause it really kinda sucks."

"Fine," Puck sniffed with what Kurt could tell was feigned disinterest. "Whatever. See ya later, Hummel."

Before Puck could get too far, Kurt called after him, "I'm busy tomorrow. My friends Blaine and Peter are meeting me for ice cream. You could come hang with us, if you want."

"One of 'em your boyfriend?" Puck asked with a jealous frown.

Kurt smiled and shook his head. This whole conversation just felt so weirdly surreal. Puck wanted to go out with him? For real? He was _jealous_ of Blaine and Peter? It wasn't a joke? Surely the end of days was near. Oprah was canceling her show, Bea Arthur was gone, and Noah Puckerman was considering going out with another guy.

Puck turned around and met Kurt's eyes with a long, assessing look. Eventually, he shrugged and said, "I guess someone's gotta keep you from runnin' your mouth about glee club to the competition. I'm in."

"Fantastic," Kurt replied, watching as Puck gave him a small, sincere smile before completing his escape from the choir room. Yep, the world was going to end, and soon. Might as well have a little fun before everything went to hell, right?

* * *

At quarter to eleven on Friday night, Puck was tongue-deep in his first gay make-out session. It wasn't all that different from making out with girls, really. Puck had his lap occupied by a hot body; his hands in soft, fruit-scented hair; his eyes closed; and a pair of sweet, wet lips on his. The moment he felt that lightning-zap he always associated with seeing God, Puck knew he was on the money. If God wanted him to spread the love and make out with dudes - or at least with Kurt - who was he to refuse?

Though, after an evening with Kurt's gay friends, Puck vowed to set things right with Finn and Sam as quickly as possible and finish transforming Artie so he could have some real dudes to hang with. That Peter guy was alright, but with Blaine there, it was almost like having two of Kurt in the room, talking about Broadway and Vogue and all that other gay crap that Puck couldn't care less about. The only good thing about the outing was getting to watch Kurt shamelessly as the boy talked and (oh, god) ate his non-fat frozen custard.

Maybe it was the whole celibacy thing since getting sent to Juvie or maybe Gary was right in suggesting that Puck wasn't a hundred percent straight, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from the sinful way Kurt ate. It made him think of all sorts of uses for that mouth. Including making out in the back seat of Kurt's SUV after Blaine and Peter started their drive back to Dalton.

But before they could get anywhere good, Kurt pulled away and said, "Crap. I've got to get home."

"Just two more minutes," Puck suggested, nipping at the sweet skin on Kurt's neck and whimpering in complaint when Kurt pulled away.

"As unexpectedly enjoyable as this is-" Puck scoffed loudly to cut Kurt off. How could anyone expect anything other than enjoyment from making out with Puckasaurus? Rolling his eyes in the dim light coming from the streetlamp above his car, Kurt continued, "I won't make my dad stay up waiting for me. He needs as much sleep as he can get these days."

"Yeah, alright," Puck replied, clearing his throat and letting Kurt go. "But don't think you're getting out of clearing second base with me tomorrow night."

Kurt laughed, but he didn't say no, which Puck counted as a win. "Get out of my car, Noah."

Noah? The only people who called him that were the occasional teacher, his mother and his sister, and Rachel Berry. But, he liked how it looked and sounded on Kurt's lips. So much so that he blurted out, "Be my boyfriend."

After a long moment of silence that made Puck's neck itchy and his feet restless, Kurt finally spoke. "What about your badass rep?" the boy asked with a frown, settling himself in the seat in front of Puck and looking around the seatback at him. "And do you really think I'd stoop so low as to date a convict?"

"My rep can go screw itself," Puck growled. "It didn't mean _anything_ in that place. I'm not a freaking badass, Kurt, convict or no. I'm just a guy. I like you. What else matters?"

"Why wouldn't you kiss me at the party?"

Puck thought he would have been ready for that question, but it hit him out of the blue, hard. "I guess ..." he sighed, trying not to let Gary put words in his mouth, again. "I thought if I liked it, and everyone else saw, I'd get as much crap as you do all the time. And I know Santana was all pissed at me that day and before Quinn's whole pledge, she wouldn't have let it go. She would have made a big-ass deal and I couldn't, like, handle it or whatever."

Kurt nodded thoughtfully before asking, "What made you think you'd like it? Make some new friends in prison?"

"Dude," Puck insisted, climbing up so he was sitting in the seat next to Kurt's, "don't even joke about that. Nothing like that happened to me, but I heard some freaky things. And it has nothing to do with that time Mr. Ryerson touched me _inappropriately,_ either."

"So what, then?" Kurt asked, brushing past the uncomfortable mention of the creepy drama teacher and flinching slightly when Puck reached out to stroke a thumb down the side of Kurt's face.

Puck shrugged. "You kinda got hot over the summer, babe. And you were all lonely and sad. It's sort of my thing."

"If I agree to be your boyfriend," Kurt asked, taking Puck's hand away from his face and holding it in his own on the armrest of his seat, "will you want to keep me lonely and sad? 'Cause I don't know how much more of that I could take. I'm not one of your desperate housewives, Puckerman."

Hating to bring this up, but knowing he had to if he was going to get Kurt to agree, Puck said, "My shrink, Gary, says I can't date anyone 'age-inappropriate' anymore. He says if I want to date, I have to be serious about it. I'm serious, Kurt. I'm gonna try to be a really awesome boyfriend."

Kurt nodded his head and thought for what seemed like forever before he said, "No."

Puck's heart lurched down into his stomach and he felt like he was going to puke. Kurt "queer-as-a-three-dollar-bill" Hummel was shooting him down. "But...?"

"I'll date you, Noah," Kurt amended with a shy smile, "but you've got to prove yourself before I'll start calling you my boyfriend."

"Oh," Puck said, more relieved than he thought he would be. The damn kid had really gotten under Puck's skin, hadn't he? "Yeah, that sounds cool. Tomorrow, then?"

"Tomorrow," Kurt nodded, accepting a quick kiss from Puck before the jock jumped out of the car and gave Kurt one last wave before trotting over to his mother's repaired Volvo. What she didn't know about him 'borrowing' the car while she was on her own date wouldn't hurt her, now would it?

And if Puck really wanted to make out with Kurt again, that wouldn't hurt anyone else, either. Except maybe all those chicks who wouldn't be getting what they wanted out of him. Puck smiled and started the car's engine, head full of daydreams of screaming girls trying to get a piece of him and Kurt turning that cute nose of his down at all of them because he had the hottest boyfriend in school. Effin' sweet!

* * *

The End (really this time!)


End file.
